


Universe Undone

by Atlantech



Category: Atlantech, Robotech The New Generation
Genre: AU, Crossover, dedicated to my husband
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:22:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 97,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27161083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Atlantech/pseuds/Atlantech
Summary: After Scott, Rand, and Annie wind up in one of the Invid Regis's genesis pits, Annie comes across an ancient piece of a necklace that holds many secrets of space and time. Later in a dream, she comes face to face with the original owner where he warns her about the powers that amulet possesses, and asks her to keep it safe for him. She agrees, but after learning about what it is and what it can do, curiosity then gets the best of her. And in an effort to convince her teammates she isn't making it all up, she goes against the warning she was given and activates it, sending her world as well another into utter chaos.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 2





	1. The Genesis Pit

**Author's Note:**

> Today officially marks one year that my beloved husband was taken from this life too soon by cancer. I had honestly been dreading this day, but since I had been writing this story for him for the better part of three years now, with many rewrites, I figured I could honor him by sharing it instead of sitting on it for the rest of my days. He was my biggest fan of my original series Atlantech, and we were both avid Robotech fans as well. Which is what gave me the idea of writing this crossover fic in the first place. 
> 
> It wasn't a surprise, he knew I'd been working on it, cause I even sent some chapters for him to read on quiet nights while in the nursing home. I won't lie losing him really killed a part of me and for a while I even stopped writing. Four months after his loss I finally managed to convince myself to get back to it. The story couldn't remain unfinished, it wasn't right. And I knew deep down that my husband wouldn't want me to quit writing either. So my love, this fic is dedicated to you for all the love, strength, and happiness you've given me during our life together. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I will never give up on my passion for writing and art. 
> 
> I don't even have to ask if you can read this from the heavens, cause I know you've been with me helping me to write it after all this time. You're still with me now. I also know your favorite character is Scott Bernard, and so hopefully I've done this character some justice for you. I had to re-read the novels to get back into the feel of these characters and everything else. It's a lot different writing fictional characters than your own original ones. It's a bit of a challenge even. But its good challenge yourself and that's what I've done here.
> 
> As I mentioned, this was written for my husband, but if anyone else finds enjoyment out of it too then the more the merrier. It's been a blast to write honestly, so hopefully that fun-ness shows through. 
> 
> Robotech belongs to Harmony Gold and Atlantech belongs to me.

After becoming separated from their small band of freedom fighters, Scott and Rand clad in Robotech armor riding their cyclones, along with adolescent pillion rider Annie, are unexpectedly swallowed up by some kind of bottomless pit and then cast into some type of lost world. Yet little do they know that this mysterious place is none other than a genesis pit; one of many where the Invid queen known as the Regis, is experimenting with life forms of Earth’s past in order to find the ultimate species suitable for existence on this planet they have invaded. Afterwards, they plan to evolve into that form and then rid the planet of its original inhabitants, the humans for good. But they have only chosen this planet because their sacred flower of life thrives here as it once did back on their home world Optera, before it was destroyed by their enemies. And just as their enemies had shown no mercy on them, the Invid have shown no mercy on the humans, conquering the planet in less than a week, and with very little resistance shown from the earthlings.

However, during the formation of this particular genesis pit, something has been unearthed in the deep ground where it had been buried for many eons; part of a sacred element which had been hidden by its previous owner for safe keeping in order to protect the many secrets of the universe, until now.

Chapter 1: The Genesis Pit

After a long fall through some kind of energy field, and then plunging into the darkness of the strange and curious bottomless pit, Scott, Rand, and Annie now find themselves in some kind of primeval looking swamp, where things just keep getting stranger and stranger as they witness giant insects, plants of all kinds that are supposed to be extinct, as well as a prehistoric crocodilian beast as it emerges from the deep water, nearly having poor Annie for lunch.

Thankfully she is pulled away to safety, while the monster is wasted by Scott’s and Rand’s Mars Gallant H90 blaster guns, blowing the thing to pieces.

Afterwards, Scott and Rand dragged the poor traumatized teenager back to shore by her jacket, asking if she’s okay.

“Mint, he didn’t bite you did he?” Scott asked her anxiously.

She seemed a little calmer now. “N-no, but almost. And don’t call me Mint, okay Scott?”

“Sure thing,” he replied as he held out his hand to her. “Come on, up you go.”

Then the next thing they knew, Rand was hollering as three more of those crocodilian beasts emerged from the swamp and began feasting on the carcass of the first one they had just put down.

“They passed on the salad course I guess.” Rand gulped.

Annie appeared fascinated by what she was seeing now, as though she had forgotten all about nearly being eaten by one a moment before. “Just look at them.” She marveled, when all of a sudden all three of the ferocious beasts now eyed them with hunger. She was quick to change her tune then.

“They’re looking at us!” She cried out.

Rand then grabbed Annie by the arm. “Well then we’d better get out of here fast!”

But before he could drag Annie away with him, she suddenly spotted something gold and shiny sticking part way out of the mud just up ahead, and felt the need to investigate.

“Wait a minute? What’s that’s that?”Annie pointed out as she yanked herself free of Rand’s grasp, and then rushed over to snatch the shiny looking object out of the ground.

“Are you out of your mind!?” Rand exclaimed in outrage, while Scott wondered what on earth the holdup was now.

“It looks like someone lost a necklace down here,” Annie announced, brushing the mud off of the strange looking amulet, and then noticed something else. “It’s missing a piece too. I wonder where the other half is?” Her eyes searched around for any sign of it only to come up empty.

“Who cares!” Rand snapped in annoyance, as he accelerated towards her on his cyclone and then scooped her up. “Can we just get out of here so we don’t get eaten already!?”

Annie clung to him then, riding pillion once again as they made their final escape away from the hungry dinosaurs, catching up to Scott who was still waiting for them up ahead.

“Good job risking your life and _mine_ back there for a stupid piece of jewelry!” Rand scolded Annie. “I sure hope that darn thing was worth it!”

“I’m sorry, all right?” Annie pouted in response.

“What’s wrong now?” Scott asked worriedly.

“Forget it,” Rand replied with aggravation as they took off once again, trying to find their way out of this place. Yet as they rode on by, Rand could have sworn he’d just seen a couple Invid shock troopers peeking out amongst the foliage watching them. But after nearly getting eaten by prehistoric beasts his mind seemed to be able to conjure up anything at that point.

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Later on that evening, and after yet another close call with a different kind of prehistoric beast, the lost survivors decided to set up camp next to a lake for the night. Still, they never let their guard down always keeping a watchful eye for any other type of monster that would try and devour them in their sleep.

The campfire was _cheery_ as Scott and Annie agreed on, but it also made Annie feel a lot safer. Why that was, Rand could only guess as he now stripped off his CVR armor and then put together a makeshift spear to try and catch some supper in the lake. And while he was busy spear fishing Annie decided to pull out that mystic piece of jewelry and look it over. Now that she could observe it much better in the firelight, she could see that it must have come from an ancient civilization of some kind. Inca or possibly Egyptian, she thought, beginning to feel a bit tuckered out.

“So that’s the reason Rand was so angry before, huh?” Scott remarked upon catching a glimpse of it in Annie’s hands.

“I think this must be real gold or something?” Annie noted as she then held it up to her face. “But who in the world could have lost this here?”

“Maybe they were eaten?” Scott suggested, while feeling relieved none of them had met the same fate yet.

“But where’s the other half?” Annie wondered next, studying it closely as it gleamed in the fire’s light.

“Couldn’t tell you,” Scott answered with uncertainty, then looked over at Rand who was crouched a top of a rock fishing in the deep water of the lake, when he suddenly caught something and flopped it onto to the sandbank.

“What the?” Rand exclaimed in disbelief over seeing the strange looking fish he’d just caught _. This thing should be extinct. I don’t understand it. Just what is this place? And what were those Invid shock troopers doing back there? They didn’t even try to attack us._

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Awhile later, the two men sat in the firelight finishing the last of their prehistoric meal while Annie slept, snoring softly with her cap bill pulled down and her fragile little hands clasped across her middle as she lay on her back, along with that mysterious necklace at her side. Rand almost thought about snatching it away and chucking it into the lake.

“Kids,” Rand remarked with a shrug, after deciding against tossing out Annie’s necklace. “Nothin bothers ‘em.”

“Your appetite hasn’t been bothered much either,” Scott mentioned, while Rand continued chewing, gazing into the fire thinking quietly to himself in that moment.

“Hey, Rand. Anybody home?” Scott raised his voice, hoping that would get his attention.

“I hear ya perfectly well, Scott,” Rand barked back. “I’m just trying to piece a few things together, all right?”

Scott said nothing more, then went to curl up by the other side of the fire.

Annie stirred a bit in her sleep, but Rand just assumed she was probably dreaming, and those dreams were probably about dinosaurs too. _Poor girl_ , he thought and then resumed trying to piece everything together in his head.

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All seemed quiet for most of the night, until a sleeping Annie suddenly heard a strange, haunting voice coming from right above her. _“You found it.”_ They said.

She groaned as she opened her eyes, and saw a tall male figure with long sky-blue flowing hair and striking blue eyes gazing down at her.

“Scott is that you?” Annie asked tiredly rubbing her eyes, when she suddenly remembered her team leader’s hair was much darker and much shorter, therefore it couldn’t have been him.

 _“You are only dreaming, little one,”_ The mysterious man then answered, wearing an ancient looking dark gray uniform and cape as he knelt down beside her. _“The missing piece.”_ He gestured with his hand down at the necklace.

“W-who are you?” Annie asked timidly, while noting his strange accent as well as the large rectangular shaped golden earrings he wore that gleamed in the light of the fire. She found it mighty strange for a man to be wearing jewelry of any sort, and then she thought of her other friend Lancer, who was probably wondering what happened to them along with Rook and Lunk. Her other teammates would’ve never believed where she and the others had ended up at. She was having enough trouble believing it herself.

“And just what the heck are you doing in my dream?”

The strange man now picked up the pendent and held it out to her _. “I am the soul of Ammon.”_ He explained. _“Though my death was not here, but another universe.”_

Annie’s green eyes widened with shock and she shrieked. “What the heck!?” You mean you’re a g-ghost?”

“ _Something like that,”_ He gave an earnest nod in return as he rose back up _. “My soul was to guard the Seba, even after death, so it could never fall into the hands of the dark one again.”_

Annie blinked. “Just what the heck is that thing? And why are you haunting _me_?”

 _“The Seba is the bridge that connects all. Every universe in the cosmos. (Saew kekewey) With it they become one,”_ Ammon explained _. “And neither am I here to haunt you, little one. I am here to warn you of its power, as I sense a dark presence on this planet— an evil force unlike anything I have ever sensed before. The same evil who created this.”_ He gestured towards the prehistoric landscape around them.

Annie gasped. “You mean the Invid?”

 _“If that is what you call them, then yes,”_ He replied.

“But wait a minute,” Annie mentioned. “I only found half of this thing, so where’s the other half?”

 _“The other half is buried with me.”_ Ammon’s eyes glistened from the flames of the fire as he walked over and looked down at it. _“And it must remain that way.”_

“Then why are you warning me if the other half is with you? Hmm?” She wondered then.

 _“Because the power of Seba can still be activated from here,”_ He answered with seriousness, looking back at her. _“But the only way to access that power is to feed it to the flames.”_ He pointed at the fire. _“Wenem sedjet.”_

Now as Annie looked over at the fire herself, she had noticed how it had appeared to grow after he had spoken the words of some old language she’d never heard of before, as if the fire had come to life, reacting to his voice alone. She had to wonder just what else this strange ghost-man was capable of.

“This is nuts!” Annie remarked a moment later. “And it still doesn’t explain why you buried it here in this place. I mean did you know it was going to be full of dinosaurs, hmm?”

Ammon shook his head at her _. “I buried this half here in order to hide it from a very malevolent being, as it was his wish to seize control over every universe. And when I first arrived, none of these creatures were around then. As I told you before, it is the fault of the Invid as you call them, and their creation of this place has desecrated Seba’s tomb as it was never meant to be found again.”_

Annie couldn’t help but feel guilty now for ever finding and taking the thing herself. “I’m sorry, Ammon. I didn’t mean to take it.” She began to sniffle. “I just thought it was a dumb piece of jewelry somebody lost that’s all.”

 _“No need for tears, little one.”_ Ammon walked back over to her and knelt down, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder as he smiled and took the pendent, and then placed it inside her own hand _. “But now that you’ve found it you will have to be the one to keep it safe. Do you think you can do that?”_

Annie thought about it for a moment before shaking her head in response _._ “I don’t know if I can honestly, but I can try. Is that good enough?”

Ammon gave a nod in return _. “Sometimes trying is all we can do. I tried with this place and failed so now it is up to you.”_

“I’ll do my best though I can promise that.” She insisted.

“ _Thank you,”_ He replied in kind as he rose back up.

“But what happens if I activate it?” She asked next. “Even by accident, then what? Will that bad person you hid it from find me and my friends?”

Ammon shook his head. “ _No he cannot find it here, and I would strongly advise against activating it. I sense your curiosity, Annie. Try not to let it get the best of you.”_

“What!?” Annie gasped in surprise. “Hey, how did you guess my name? I never told you what it was!”

 _“I heard it from your friends,”_ He answered _. “And your thoughts, but you are still a little one to me.”_

Annie went slack-jawed. “Okay I think I’ve had enough of this dream!” She balled her little fists. “I want to wake up now, got it? I want to wake up now!”

Ammon smiled in return _. “As you wish, little one.”_

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

“As I what?” Annie replied quizzically, when the next thing she knew she was sitting right up and wide awake.

“Annie, are you okay?” Rand suddenly rushed over along with Scott. “You were tossing around a lot in your sleep and mumbling.”

“There was a man here,” She began to explain much to their bewilderment, which only made Rand snicker.

“Oh so you were dreaming about your new boyfriend huh?” He teased.

“No, this man was some kind of ghost.” She shook her head at him, then reached down and picked up the pendent off the ground. “He said his name was Ammon, and that this thing is called the Seba, whatever that means. And that it’s some kind of bridge that connects all universes or something!”

Rand and Scott exchanged looks. “I think you’re pulling our chain, kid,” Rand scoffed. “That’s it, no more prehistoric fish dinners for you, missy!”

“But I’m not making this up!” Annie insisted as she jumped to her feet and walked up to the campfire with the amulet in hand. “He said the other half of this thing is buried with him in another universe. And that it can still be activated. All you have to do is—

She paused for a moment, wondering if going against Ammon’s warning was worth trying to make a believer out of her friends. “Feed it to the fire or something?” She then chucked the amulet right into the flames without a second thought, watching as they danced around it while nothing seemed to be happening at all.

“Would you look at that? Nothing’s happening,” Rand remarked and laughed. “Must be busted, right Scott?” He nudged his confused teammate in the arm.

Only Scott refused to join in on the laughter and instead felt sorry for the poor girl.

Annie looked down at the burning amulet in disappointment and sighed. _I’m sorry Ammon. I just wanted to prove to him I wasn’t making things up but I guess I disappointed you too now._

Then she suddenly heard a faint voice coming from behind as it whispered to her.

_“I forgive you but what is done cannot be undone.”_

“Ammon is that you?” Annie gasped as she peered over her shoulder, only to see Rand and Scott standing there.

“Sorry, Annie. Your new boyfriend isn’t here,” Rand teased.

She furrowed her brow at him. “He’s not my boyfriend! And when you stop acting like a jerk then I can finish what I was going to say!”

“All right fine,” Rand accepted. “Go on and finish telling us your story.”

“Ammon also said the Invid are responsible for this place,” She explained.

“Come again?” Rand remarked in bewilderment, as if his own beliefs about what’s been going on around there had just been confirmed.

“You heard me,” Annie replied. “They created this dinosaur land that desecrated the tomb of the Seba, as Ammon said. What does desecrate even mean?”

“It means your ghost friend feels the Invid have disrespected his wishes of keeping that thing hidden,” Scott answered much to his own surprise.

News of all this had Rand scratching his head now. “But why did they create this place? That’s what we should really be asking. Did this ghost tell you that at least?”

“Nope he didn’t,” Annie replied.

Well, I really don’t know what to make of all this,” Scott commented. “And neither has there been any kind of reaction happening since Annie tossed that thing into the fire. So who knows?”

“Well I think the part about the Invid is at least true,” Rand mentioned then. “As a matter of fact, I saw a couple Invid shock troopers back there near the entrance to this place. They didn’t attack us for some reason. It was almost like they were just watching us.”

“Well that’s strange,” Scott noted.

“So did your ghost friend tell you how the heck we’re supposed to get out of here then?” Rand asked next.

“No he didn’t,” Annie answered. “He only said that he came to this universe to hide part of the Seba here so the dark one couldn’t find it. Whoever that is, cause he didn’t say.”

“Dark one huh?” Scott repeated with very little enthusiasm in his voice, while hoping this other being wouldn’t end up becoming another problem for him in the near future. “So did he happen to tell you where exactly this other universe he’s buried in is located?”

Annie shook her head. “He didn’t tell me that either.”

“And probably with good reason too,” Rand added. “Though I think it would be pretty nice if we could get the Invid to leave earth by sending them off into another universe instead.”

But Scott had to disagree. “They’d only end up being someone else’s problem then.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Rand remarked. “At least our world would be free again and we wouldn’t have to keep fighting for our lives day after day.”

“No, but there’d be others who would,” Scott reminded him. “And as much as I’d like this war to end I wouldn’t wish it on someone else. But in the meantime I think it’s best if we try and figure out a way to get out of here instead, don’t you?”

He then turned to Annie. “Do you think you could go back to sleep and maybe try and summon him again? Maybe ask for his help on how we get out of here?”

She paused as she looked down at her feet. “I don’t know. I guess I could try? But I don’t know if I can sleep anymore after all this, Scott. I’m sorry.”

“I understand,” Scott replied, when all of a sudden a lone pterodactyl flew overhead.

“I don’t think any of us are going back to sleep now,” Rand gulped. “We’ve got to get out of here!”

Scott had to agree. “I guess we’ll have to figure this one out on our own then.”


	2. The Interstellar City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We take a look at the universe where Ammon is buried, as well as the kind of people Annie is about to unleash into her own world, good and bad alike.

But as it turned out, everything Ammon had told Annie was nothing but the truth. Including the part about his remains being buried in another universe, where they now lay peacefully in the mausoleum of a great intergalactic metropolis known as Atlantis City. However, the current year of this universe happened to be the year 4000, and neither was the city the least bit futuristic looking as one might expect, but instead resembled something of a vintage setting, reminiscent of Earth from the 1920’s and 30’s, with tall art deco buildings of all kinds and skyscrapers all lit up by the glowing neon signs throughout.

There were two parts of the city, the highly appealing half where all the rich lived and congregated known as Gambler’s Strip, and the much poorer area which was simply known as old downtown Atlantis, the same location as the mausoleum which served as a reminder of the city’s early days before the most corrupt of men had seized power and issued the final divide between the rich and poor.

That man in question was none other than Julius Morane, the leader and chairman of the city’s council who acted as a totalitarian dictator and had taken over from the original founders of the great city; the _Atlantis Militia Forces_ , or AMF for short. However, the days of the AMF quickly became numbered once they had joined forces with the Tjatey, the ancient aliens responsible for the destruction of Earth hundreds of years ago.

But many of the survivors of that war hadn’t forgotten, and neither did their descendants for that matter. And nor could they forgive, which included Morane himself, so when he offered to take over from the traitors, the people gladly accepted and voted him in, leaving the men and women of the AMF as well as all Tjatey survivors, confined to their military base and the unsavory parts of downtown Atlantis that would accept them.

However, what Ammon had failed to tell Annie, is that he was the leader of the Tjatey who led his people into the war against the humans, leaving them without a home planet and forcing them to move into deep space. But while he eventually realized the error of his ways after being captured, he did try to set things right by finding the humans a new home that would be safe from any future invasions.

The Tjatey themselves were immortal but could still be killed or die of illness. And in the end it was a mere illness that took Ammon’s life, but even on his deathbed he kept with him the dirty secret of the Seba as well as many others, and he passed on with the missing piece in one of his hands, clutching it so tight so that no one could ever free it from his grasp.

But he also never intended on anyone ever finding the other half, nor did he expect that person would be a spunky twelve year old girl, who would then attempt to activate it in hopes of making a believer out of her skeptical friends.

But although Ammon had indeed forgiven Annie, he also warned that what she’d done could not be so easily reversed. This only left the poor teenager to wonder just what he meant by those words, especially since nothing appeared to happen at all after she had tossed the Seba into the fire.

However, what she didn’t know was that once the flames had made contact with the ancient amulet, it had also activated the other half as well, and soon the people of Atlantis City would pay dearly for Annie’s actions.

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EARLIER

The downtown area of the city was bustling with activity, as a couple of young soldiers made their way down the sidewalk, passing by several shops and a small lounge along the way. The sound of live jazz filled their ears as they passed by the small, shoddy club, almost tempting them to head inside, when they suddenly remembered the base’s strict curfew would soon be in effect. As it was required that all soldiers and other personnel must be back inside the gates before midnight, or else they would face harsh punishment. Such a strict rule only seemed to annoy the young men and women, and was jokingly dubbed the Cinderella Law.

For those who didn’t take it very seriously at all, they would either ignore it altogether or treat it like some kind of humorous challenge where they’d sneak in a minute or more after. This was usually followed by some kind of lie or ridiculous excuse as to why they couldn’t make it on time. But for a bored military with no real war to fight, this kind of shenanigans was to be expected.

And being that it was exactly fifteen minutes till, the two wandering soldiers had decided not to chance being late for once. However, as they were coming up to a familiar building, the taller of the two suddenly stopped and just stared at it. The place looked rather rundown with noticeable cracks in the stucco walls as well as on the three steps which led to the entrance. Its large orange neon sign shined like a beacon, and its words spelled out, “♥The Card Shack♠.” with a heart on one end and a spade on the other.

This place held lots of memories good and bad, but at the moment the only feeling it was leaving William Sterling with was utter sadness and even regret. He was the youngest living descendant of Ammon, and even looked a bit like in the face him too. He had Ammon’s piercing blue gaze, yet his hair was a darker shade of blue, and he kept it mostly short, parted on the left side of his head where his long bangs hung over his right eye. He was rather fair skinned for a human/Tjatey hybrid, which only seemed to add to the list of reasons why he was hated by the majority. Nor did it matter that he had no interest in following the violent ways of his ancestors, and would only ever fight back to defend himself or those he cared about.

Yet aside from his cursed heritage, he was still a relatively happy individual with a big heart to boot. He wore his blue uniform with great pride, even though he wasn’t feeling that way now, while his shorter, blonde shaggy-haired comrade in the green uniform stood with impatience tapping his foot.

“Universe to Will!” The seventeen year old corporal, Justin Church barked just then. “We ain’t gonna make it back in time the longer you keep putzing around like that.”

William then reached into the left pocket of his uniform and pulled out a sealed white envelope. “It’s not too late. There’s still time,” he insisted, with his eyes fixated on that building. “She wasn’t there earlier when we stopped by, but I know she’ll be there later. I have no choice I need to drop this off tonight or else she’ll think I’ve forgotten her.”

“Or that pompous ass Maxwell Graham will find it before she does and throw it away,” Justin rolled his large green eyes. “He’s done it before, the guy watches that building like a hawk. Trust me I know. I haven’t been able to get within ten feet of that poker table without him yelling at me to get out. So your best bet is to wait till tomorrow when you know for sure she’s gonna be there. Or at the very least, find out where she lives and start dropping your love letters in her mail box instead?”

William looked utterly appalled by such a suggestion, and curtly shook his head. “No that’s just plain creepy. I’m her biggest fan, not some stalker.”

Justin rolled his eyes again. “I get it, but there’s always tomorrow. Besides, it’s not like she even knows who you are to begin with. You’re still hiding behind that damned secret admirer persona of yours. I mean, do you ever have any plans to come clean with the woman? Surely by now she must think you’re a coward. Don’t you think?”

William felt insulted by his words but he also couldn’t help but agree with him too. He had been hiding his true self from the woman of his dreams, for fear of being rejected by her if she discovered what he was. And while Justin did sympathize with him, he also believed it was better to know than not. Because if he didn’t take that risk one day, there was always a chance that someone else could beat him to it.

“You’re right, I’ll just wait till tomorrow,” William sighed hopelessly, putting the letter away in his pocket as he turned around and started walking back towards the base with Justin.

“Look, I ain’t trying to get you down or nothin,” Justin felt the need to explain now. “I do want to see you happy, but you gotta be realistic too. Victoria ain’t gonna be single forever, buddy. She’s a classy dame, which means some dapper fella has probably got his eye on her and is just waiting for that opportunity to strike.”

William suddenly groaned with disgust. “Could you please shut up and stop rubbing it in? You know that’s the last thing I need to be hearing or even thinking about, much like the supposed future war the commander keeps warning us about. It’s just another thing to add to my ever growing list of everything I am sick to death of hearing.”

Justin looked a bit sheepish now as they began crossing the street. “Well, you’re not alone there cause I am also sick of the talk about future wars. That’s what we’re all training and preparing for, right? Some mysterious force is gonna come from elsewhere for us one day, oh no!” He emphasized, waving his hands in a mocking gesture. “It’s all a load of bullshit and I don’t believe in it, do you?”

William just about agreed with him until he remembered something.

“It’s not dumb. Did you already forget about the Tjatey uprising we had a few months back? That didn’t come from somewhere else in space, Church. That came from the very ground we walk on, the very place we live and breathe.”

“That was different,” Justin answered. “That was always planned, whereas Atlantis City is pretty much isolated from the rest of the universe, depending on how large it actually is. Point being, I highly doubt any other race would bother with attacking us. We’re not a threat to them.”

“Oh yeah? Well neither were our ancestors on Earth,” William quipped. “And look what happened?”

Justin then sighed regretfully. “Okay, so you’ve got a point there. I guess after being born in space and all, it’s easy to forget where we really came from. And you’re right Earth wasn’t a threat back then. I suppose believing that we’re safe here where we are is just wishful thinking on my part.”

“And there’s nothing wrong with that, Church,” William said as they were coming up to the main gate just then. “Honestly I’m more afraid of the threats from the city than I am from any other outside force. The people want us dead, that’s scary enough for me.”

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Meanwhile, inside the building of City Hall in Gambler’s Strip, the city council leader Julius Morane was seated in his dim-lit office having a glass of wine, while a somber orchestral symphony blared through the gramophone on the end table. As though moved by the music, he began humming along, all while gazing down at the golden wedding band on his right hand, seemingly reminiscing about happier times in his life

The man was now sixty years of age and it showed on his face, yet in body and spirit he was still very much the same strapping thirty year old man that had rightfully claimed his throne as the unchallenged ruler of this city. And he truly was unchallenged, which was probably due to his mental instability and extreme paranoia. Getting older never changed that, nor his lust for blood, as it was well known that Morane would shoot or stab first and ask questions later.

He still dyed his hair dark in order to hide the creeping gray reminders of his own mortality, for he did not take so kindly to the idea of wasting away. He also did not believe in god, in fact he was god as far as everyone else was concerned, and he would decide who lived and who died, especially within his part of the city. The other half he could care less about, along with the AMF, although he did like to push a lot crime into their part of the city since he was in cohorts with all the drug-lords and thugs. But the people didn’t know that.

Morane had been too busy convincing them all that the AMF were the real traitors, who should be put to death along with their beloved aliens. But in truth he still needed them alive. In his mind they were only permitted to live because it took all the focus off of him and the rest of the council. He wasn’t stupid and he was well aware that some of his people were beginning to turn against him, but not the majority yet. So as long as the AMF were the sole focus of the people’s hate, Morane could continue carrying out his crimes and doing as he pleases. It was the perfect plan and after all these years it still continued to work out, for the people seemed too blind to see the devil hiding in plain sight. Just the kind of willful ignorance he needed from them.

But for now it was the death of his wife which plagued his mind. And the more his cold blue eyes lingered on his ring, the more he felt remorse over murdering the only woman he’d ever loved. It didn’t matter that she had cheated on him with a younger man she was still very much the love of his life and always would be.

This was something else the public didn’t know about the man who governed their lives, except for a select few, and those who did know also knew what he’d do to them if they dared to speak a word. After all, silence was golden, as it meant you wouldn’t be brutally tortured to death by the sadist himself. He had a short temper and very little patience, but he wasn’t without his faults, and his deceased wife was one of his many weaknesses.

He missed her enough that the very memory of her drove him insane, asking her why she forced his hand like that, as it was something he never wanted to go through with, but felt that he had no other choice. His rage had blinded him and all he could see was that she, the one person he loved with all his being, had betrayed his heart.

“Marjory,” he now spoke her name, sighing sadly as the melody ended, leaving nothing but the sound of static behind like a faded memory.

For the moment he savored the silence as he finished his drink, and that’s about the time he looked up from his desk and spotted his android spy in its human soldier disguise standing before him.

Startled, he nearly dropped his glass.

“Jesus H Christ!” Morane exclaimed angrily. “How many times have I told you not to pull that sneaky shit on me!?”

“I apologize,” the android replied. “I at least waited for the song to end this time before I entered. I knew you were having another one of your emotional moments, Sir.”

“What the fuck ever,” Morane quipped, and then picked up a cigar and lit it. “What do you have to report so far?”

The android’s rough human features remained emotionless as it spoke. “Nothing of interest so far. There haven’t been any new developments that I’m aware of. Not even any talk about you of all things. Believe me I know just how much you enjoy all the negative inquiry.”

Morane chuckled with amusement as he puffed on his cigar. “You got that fuckin right! So tell me, Stan. How’s the admiral doing these days?” Morane then pulled out the front drawer of his desk and took out his Italian Stiletto switchblade and flicked it open. “He doesn’t write, he doesn’t talk. Makes me feel a little unappreciated. Maybe even a little unwanted for that matter.”

Stan remained quiet while he observed his master toying with the knife, when a question soon popped up in his artificial mind and prompted him to ask, “Do you wish to kill him?”

“Murder Grant?” Morane shot Stan a quizzical look. “Oh no, no, definitely not. Why, he’s far too valuable to me you see?”

Only Stan did not.

“You don’t kill a man whom you find useful,” Morane explained it the best way he could, as he closed up the blade and then put it away in the front pocket of his dark blue three-piece suit. “Why, that’s just plain fucking sloppy if you ask me. Keep your enemies closer, ain’t that right?” He chuckled rather manically as the cigar hung from his lips, and then narrowed his eyes at the android.

“You know exactly how it is, don’t you? You know the things you’ve done yourself, and what those “friends” of yours would think of you if they knew it too.”

Stan’s face remained stoic as he listened, but he knew all too well that his master was right about him. William and Justin would never forgive him if they knew the truth, that he was a killer.

“You’ve got your dirty little secrets, and I’ve got mine,” Morane smirked then, taking another puff from his cigar. “You’re a lot more like me than you think. You might’ve not killed as many as I have but you’re getting there, yes sir indeed.”

Whether or not Stan was supposed to feel proud of that achievement he was uncertain, but he was still left wondering about the reason why Morane had killed his own wife. “So Why then did you choose to kill Marjory? Was she not useful to you?”

Unbridled rage now coursed through Morane’s blood as he glowered up at the android. “How dare you talk about her like that!” He growled loud enough that everyone else left inside the building at this hour surely would have heard him. It was evident that Stan had definitely struck a nerve.

“You know what? Better yet, you can get the fuck out of here! I don’t even want to look at you right now, so go on get! You good for nothing hunk of junk!” He spat.

Without speaking another word, the android turned around and walked out of the office. Yet it could hear the man’s angry sobs echoing throughout the hallway as it descended the staircase. He couldn’t begin to understand that man’s erratic emotional patterns. They were all over as far as he could detect, and he knew it was a good thing he wasn’t human, otherwise the man would have probably plunged that knife right into his chest. Morane’s lust for blood was not lost on Stan in the least.

But after being so rudely dismissed by his master, the android had only one thing it could do in the meantime, and so once it exited the building it went ahead and flagged down a cab driver and rode back to the AMF base. It wasn’t yet midnight so he knew his two comrades were probably still up and about. They were much more stable and tolerable as it was, and right now the android craved that stability.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

“You ever think things will change around here?” Justin asked William as they stood outside the main gate, killing a little time before they had to go inside.

“Who knows?” William shrugged. “Sometimes I feel like a change of scenery would be most welcoming.”

Justin couldn’t help but agree then. “You’re right about that. Wouldn’t it be something if we could build a nice little space cruiser and do some interplanetary traveling? See what’s up beyond the cosmos.” He gestured with a hand up at the eons of the stars and galaxies hanging over head. “There’s probably more out there than we could ever imagine. Atlantis City is just a small blip on the radar compared to everything else.”

William looked heavenward, taking in the view and imagination as well. “Yeah just imagine.”

But while the two of them were busy stargazing, that’s about the time the cab pulled up right next to the curb and Stan got out. He looked a bit puzzled seeing both his friends so distracted by the view above, as well as the fact they were standing right outside the gate when it was exactly about five till.

“Is there some kind of light show taking place that I must have missed?” Stan suddenly asked, prompting both young soldiers to stop and turn around. They both seemed elated to see him. Light show was actually a code name for a shooting star as they were observed quite often in the space sky.

“There you are! We were looking for you earlier,” William said with surprise. “And no there wasn’t any light show, just Church and I observing the view is all.”

Justin nodded. “Pretty much. Where have you been anyway?”

Stan knew he would have to lie in order to cover his tracks, but he couldn’t deny how much better he felt being in the presence of these two as it was. It was definitely a step up from that madman and his tantrums.

“I was out for a stroll around downtown. Figured it would be a good way to kill some time before curfew. Which will now be in effect in exactly two minutes.”

“Bah, curfew, smurfew,” Justin remarked cheekily. “And uh, you must have gone pretty far if you needed a cab to get back here.” He pointed out as the vehicle took off down the street.

Stan had no comment for that one.

“Well, I think it’s about that time, don’t you?” William mentioned next as he motioned everyone over to the gate entrance.

Justin pulled out his pocket watch and looked down at it. There was now only one minute left before midnight. _You’d think we were waiting for the ball to drop or somethin_ , he thought humorously.

Without waiting another minute, William placed his right index finger on the gate’s identification scanner to gain access, and after a single beep of recognition, the gate slid open and they all walked in.

“Hope none of yous guys lost a glass slipper anywheres,” Justin snickered as the gate automatically closed behind them. He also noticed there weren’t any guards on duty at this hour either.

“Flawless victory!” He cheered then, offering both Stan and William high-fives. Although the second Justin’s hand made contact with Stan’s, he could have sworn he heard his knuckles crack. The man was just that strong, not to mention a towering giant with a rough-around-the-edges look about him. He had a strong square jaw with high set cheekbones and piercing green eyes that looked as though they would stare into your very soul.

He also kept his light brown hair mostly short while longer in the back, parted down the middle, where his bangs curled inward over his large forehead. As for his uniform it was the standard color palette for private 1st class officer; dark gray with red striping unlike the matching hues of William and Justin’s uniforms. It also wasn’t any secret that he possessed the ability to the beat the living nightlights out of anyone who crossed him or dared to cause harm to his friends. But as Morane had stated before, the android did have his dirty secrets, hiding the fact he was a killer and had a lot of skeletons in his closet. Most of those deaths ordered by Morane himself, while the others had either discovered what he was or simply pissed him off. But despite his dangerous ways he was loyal to those who treated him with respect; those who treated him human.

“Hold it right there you three!” An angry female voice barked, as the young soldiers froze and looked up in time to see one of their superior officers standing before them with her hands on her hips.

Her name was Lynne Williams and she was only a few years older than William, with long red hair she wore in a loose braid over her right shoulder, knee high black boots, and a burgundy uniform which consisted of a coat and long skirt, and the official Atlantis emblem on her left shoulder, which was supposed to be the letter A but in appearance it looked more like an upside down V than anything. But if there was one thing about her that could intimidate even the strongest of men, then it was that stone faced expression of hers she had so often; the same one she had right now as a matter of fact.

Both Justin and William looked absolutely stunned, like a deer caught in headlights, while Stan on the other hand didn’t appear the least bothered.

“Good evening, Commander,” Justin was the first to speak, sounding overly eager to talk his way out of trouble. “You see we were out for a short while but then decided to come right on back. We didn’t want to be late ya know? As we understand the importance of being on time now. After all, it’s what makes for good soldiers, right?”

She didn’t appear the least bit convinced nor amused.

“We made it back before curfew at least?” Justin flashed a nervous grin, to which she shook her head with disapproval.

“Hardly.” She narrowed her eyes at them. “I just wanted to inform you that the admiral and I will no longer stand for this kind of insubordination.” Her voice grew harsher. “As soldiers in training, you know what is expected of you here, so consider this a warning for now.”

“Yes, Commander.” All three men answered in unison with a quick salute.

Her grey eyes locked with William’s for a split moment before she turned to leave.

Justin snorted and shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe the two of you were ever an item.”

“I was young and stupid,” William answered rather defensively, as though hoping Justin would drop it and never mention it again.

Then the next thing William knew, Justin was rubbing the palms of his hands together in a devious manner. He could only imagine what the young corporal was up to.

“So be young and stupid again?” Justin suggested, gesturing with a hand back towards the gate.

Now William knew for sure what was up and he wasn’t having any of it.

“No, no, and no!” He promptly shut Justin down before the blonde troublemaker could say another word, while Stan just stood there like a silent giant listening.

“We are not breaking curfew!” William argued irritably. “Didn’t you just hear the commander? She warned all of us! And I don’t know about you but I’d rather not spend a day in the brig.”

Justin blew a raspberry at him. “Oh come on listen to yourself! You act like it’s the worst possible thing in the universe. It’s really not. There’s stuff to read like magazines for example. And besides, Stan is here with us now. We can finally have that outing we’ve been planning for.”

Hearing this almost tempted William, but he was quick to backpedal “It’s not worth it, Church. And maybe you haven’t noticed, but not everyone here gets a kick out of getting in trouble the way you do. So maybe stop trying to drag us all down with you for once? You’re a soldier right? Don’t you think it’s time you started acting like one?”

Justin couldn’t help but roll his eyes at his friend now. “Man, you’re starting to sound like the commander.” He quipped in annoyance. “But what about the card shack? Who knows, maybe Victoria is there now? You could finally get that chance to drop off your letter.”

William shook his head at him. “No. You already convinced me to wait till tomorrow, and besides I’m tired and it’s been a long night so I’m going to sleep. And if you were half as smart as you claim to be, then you would call it a night too.”

“Ouch!” Justin exclaimed in shock. “That’s a stinger!”

William scoffed. “Oh that’s nothing. Just wait till the commander gets a hold of you. You’ll be scrubbing the floors with your own toothbrush.”

“Yeah,” Justin agreed. “And as more punishment she’d probably make me use it afterwards too.”

William shuddered in disgust leaving Stan clueless once again.

“That’s a bad thing?” Stan asked scratching his chin when Justin turned to leave.

“Well whatever, I’m going gambling for a bit,” Justin announced then as he began to walking towards the gate. “Either you guys join me or snooze and you lose. Your choice.”

William groaned as he shook his head in disbelief over the stubbornness of his younger friend, and waved a dismissive hand. “Not this time, Church. You’re on your own.”

Justin uttered a low growl in response as he let himself out. “Et tu, Stan?” He peered over his shoulder one last time just to see his other friend siding with William.

“Sorry but that is not my objective,” Stan called back, causing Justin to frown.

“Well fine then!” Justin called after them bitterly as he began walking away. “If either of ya regret it tomorrow I sure as heck don’t wanna hear about it!”

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Right at that moment, Lynne had just witnessed Justin’s dissension from the eastern tower view-port window of the control room as he exited the premises and took off into the city somewhere. It angered her that he didn’t seem to care at all about following orders, but the last thing she wanted to do was hunt him down and drag him back there herself. Even though it sounded like a tempting idea at the moment.

But while Lynne was fixated on her frustration, the four female flight control officers were also winding down and beginning to wrap up their training for the night.

“Well it’s been another long one, hasn’t it?” Lucy mentioned cheekily to the others. She was a young fair skinned flapper with a short black glossy bob and wide brown eyes. She was the second youngest of the group next to Mipsy, and the queen of gossip on the base. If there was some juicy story or rumor she was usually the first to get the word out.

“I’ll say,” Mipsy sighed tiredly, hanging up her headset. “On our next day off we should all go to that old jazz club up the street. Maybe we could meet us some dapper fellas?” Her large blue eyes sparkled as she played with her wavy light brown bob. Each of the girls had their own unique hair style, and apart from the Marcel waved look, Mipsy also wore a distinct pink hair barrette on the left side of her head. It kept her long bangs in place since they were swept across her forehead, forming the dip of a large wave.

Officer Hanes wore a similar style, only it was much shorter with a lot more waves, and a spit curl hanging about her forehead, and two others on either side of her face. She was the oldest of the women at twenty-eight years of age, with a sweet southern belle drawl. She was also a red-head, but her hair was more reddish-orange than anything. But it seemed to coincide well with her olive green eyes and freckled complexion. She was also a little chubby but with all the right curves in the all right places.

“Dearie, I swear I’m due for a pedicure,” Grace joked as she stood up from her chair in the tower control room. “These dogs are howlin, can’t you hear them?”

“Nobody wants to hear about your corns,” quipped Alley, the only flight control officer who wasn’t a social butterfly, and who was also William Sterling’s half sister. But unlike her brother she didn’t look part alien at all. She wore her dark blonde hair long and usually hanging in her face. She was the outcast of the bunch, but she seemed to like her position nonetheless, as it meant she had access to a monitor where she could play card games whenever the commander was absent or distracted by something else.

Her station was right across the other side of the room next to Mipsy, while Lucy and Grace were partners on the other end. Lynne’s station however, was smack dab in the middle, only she was still standing at the back viewport window gazing out. And judging from her body language alone it was quite obvious just who she was mad at.

“Oh dear, did he sneak out there again?” Grace finally popped the question, prompting Lynne to turn and look her way.

“Of course he did,” Lynne groaned rubbing her temples. “And to think I fell for his little talk earlier, about how much he understands the importance of order around here? God I am such a fool!” She clenched her fists. “Never again will I let him get the best of me!”

Lucy and Grace exchanged looks, when all of a sudden, Lucy noticed something out of the corner of her eye coming from the city; a twinkling light of some kind.

“Now isn’t that curious?” Lucy commented now giving it her full attention as she tried to see which building it was coming from.

“What do you see?” Grace asked when she noticed it too. “Now that’s the darndest thing. What do you suppose that is?”

Soon Mipsy and Lynne joined them to observe as well, while Alley stood in the background sneakily lighting a cigarette behind their backs even though smoking in the tower was strictly prohibited. Alley didn’t care, and instead saw that opportunity while the rest of them were distracted by whatever it was they were looking at.

“It’s like a star isn’t it?” Mipsy said in awe. “You think maybe it fell from the space sky?”

“Or it’s someone signaling with a mirror somewhere in the city,” added Lynne.

“You don’t suppose they’re in trouble do ya?” Lucy asked.

“I bet its Corporal Church,” Mipsy suggested with a wry smirk. “Figures he’d find himself in trouble as soon as he got out there.”

Only, that idea didn’t seem to add up in Lynne’s mind, especially since she had just seen him leave the premises less than ten minutes ago.

“No way that’s him, it’s probably some other poor sap,” Lucy commented as Grace nodded in agreement.

“Yeah and whatever goes on in that city ain’t no business of ours. Our jurisdiction ends here. So whatever that is, it’s all Morane’s problem to deal with.”

The women continued watching the curious light a final moment before losing interest and then turned their attention elsewhere. As Grace had stated, it was all Morane’s problem. And while nobody in the AMF wished any harm upon the civilians of Atlantis, there was also nothing they could do about it.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Meanwhile at the Card Shack, William’s beloved Victoria Thompson was now seated at the bar enjoying a nice drink while conversing with the young Latino bartender, Enrique Alveras. He was a very dear friend of hers and always seemed to be available when she needed his input on something.

But for the moment, the golden-haired flapper was looking rather pensive as she sat cross-legged in a sleeveless purple sequined frock with an ornate beaded pattern that wrapped around her waist like a belt. Her beige fur trimmed coat hung about her shoulders as she held a cigarette between her fingers in one hand and her drink in the other.

She sighed with boredom, lowering her gaze to the counter’s surface as she stared at the reflection of red light coming from the wall behind Enrique. It was a faint glow which seemed to illuminate one side of the room making the blue wallpaper with their golden shells look almost as purple as her dress.

“Something wrong, Miss Thompson?” Enrique asked then.

“It’s just— She began while averting her gaze. “I was hoping I’d receive another letter by now, that’s all.”

“From your secret admirer you mean?” He asked just to clarify.

She nodded, taking the last swig from her near empty glass before setting it down.

“Well when was the last one?” He asked next as he collected the glass and then turned towards the sink to rinse it out and wash it.

“A week ago now,” she frowned as she took a drag from her cigarette. “I’ve had a bad day so I was hoping I would at least hear from him again. Mainly because he seems to know just what to say to cheer me up. He knows me very well.”

“Oh,” Enrique noted while he washed and dried the glass, not letting on that he knew a lot more than she would ever believe, which included the identity of her so-called secret admirer. “What happened today?” He asked next as he finished and turned back around to face her. “You can tell me about it if you want? If not I won’t push the issue.”

She gave him a half-hearted smile, which quickly dissolved into a frown once the bad memories suddenly resurfaced. “It’s just Morane and some rather rude things he said to me that’s all.”

“Oh I see,” The bartender acknowledged while already feeling sorry for her. _“_ _hombre malvado.”_

“ _Si, ese es el bien,_ ” She nodded.

Enrique shook his head. “Don’t worry about him. He can only ruin your night if you let him.” 

“You know what? You’re absolutely right.” She agreed with a smile, and then pulled her empty flask out of her purse and held it out to him. “You wouldn’t mind filling it up would you?” She asked lowering her voice, just so a certain someone wouldn’t hear her.

“Not at all, Miss Thompson.” The dark haired, green eyed bartender smiled wholeheartedly. “You want vodka?”

She nodded. “Mmmhmm.” And then mouthed the words thank you at him.

“So, any luck finding any roles lately?” He asked next which only seemed to put her on the spot, since the former actress was now regarded as a talentless wash-up, which was more or less what Morane had told the poor woman after she’d refused to have dinner with him that evening.

He obviously didn’t appreciate being rejected like that and had apparently gone off on one of his sexist diatribes, where he cruelly mocked and ridiculed her.

_“You know why you haven’t been able to land any roles lately, Miss Thompson? He’d remarked from his chair as he glared up at her. “Because you’re just another stupid whore that can’t act, and the studio knows it! Why, if you had any fucking smarts at all then you’d realize you belong on the streets with the other tarts or in a brothel. After all, good looks should never go to waste, right?”_

_He cackled rather manically as she just stood there utterly stunned and speechless, and all because she didn’t want to join him for dinner. And while she could’ve broken down and cried right in front of him, she didn’t want to grant him the pleasure of seeing her suffer._

“Oh of course, sweetie,” she lied through her teeth as she took another drag of her cigarette. “If I hadn’t then how else would I still be able to afford my place in the high rise, or even afford this new dress I’m wearing?” She gestured down at the sparkly garment.

Enrique gave her a quick once-over, deciding to take her at her word, even though he had his suspicions that she was hiding something.

“Well I wish you the best in your success.” He commended.

“Well it’s better than robbing a bank for a living, right?” She chuckled nervously, despite the fact it had been nothing but the truth she had let slip through in the moment. And she knew Enrique was a kind hearted soul and would never again show her the same respect if he ever found out that she was well on her way to becoming a hardened criminal.

“Right,” Enrique agreed, yet he seemed to pick up on something in her voice, something that didn’t sound quite right at all. What was she hiding? But before he could ponder any further on the matter, Maxwell Graham, The Card Shack’s manager and Victoria’s former agent, decided to crash their little smattering with one of his obnoxious tantrums as he stormed on over and snatched the bottle of vodka out of Enrique’s hands.

“And what in bloody hell do you think you two are doing?” Maxwell exclaimed in outrage, nearly knocking Victoria’s flask over in the process as he slammed the vodka bottle down.

As far as looks went, Maxwell wasn’t exactly the pick of the litter either. He had a rather long face with a pointy chin, beady gray-blue eyes, and a small, curved, beak-like nose that crinkled in disgust as he glared at both of them. He was a tall, lanky thirty-something year old man that spoke with a thick, grating British accent who liked to belittle everyone around him. He was also a snob who liked to dress to impress as though he possessed any value himself. But his fancy purple vest, high collared white dress shirt and dark slacks weren’t fooling anyone. He also wore his long grey-blue hair in a ponytail while his bangs, which were parted down the middle, hung in loose tresses at the sides of his face. He’d even been mistaken for a woman once or twice, but it was never a good idea to bring up that fact unless you wanted to find out what he was capable of doing to you.

“He was merely doing me a favor, Maxwell. What’s the harm?” Victoria scowled as she snatched her half-filled flask away.

“Free booze is free booze, Miss Thompson,” Maxwell snarled as he shoved Enrique back against the liquor shelves with one arm. “And I simply won’t allow it!”

Victoria gritted her teeth in response and crossed her arms. “It’s not a waste we can always afford more.”

“Hush!” Maxwell practically seethed in response, leaving Enrique to wonder what all this was even about.

“Well I can,” She replied as though to correct herself with a haughty smile, as she pulled the fur trim of her coat up over her bare shoulders once she felt a cold draft in the room. “It’s gotten chilly all of sudden hasn’t it? Hell must have frozen over I suppose?”

Maxwell rolled his eyes. “Ah yes, let’s change the bloody subject shall we?” Then he turned his attention back to Enrique. “And you!” He pointed right at the frightened bartender accusingly. “No more free drinks. Not for her or anyone, do you hear me, Enrique?”

Enrique was still backed up against the shelves in a defensive posture when he nodded quickly.

“Also no more water for that bloody tosser in the leather jacket who keeps sticking around here.” Maxwell also added. “From now on you tell that bloke that if he chooses to come into my establishment then he is to buy a drink like everyone else! I will not tolerate loiterers.”

Victoria scoffed as she shook her head at him. “Then you might want to do something about the loiterers using the side of the building as a public restroom.”

Maxwell’s brows snapped together as he pulled out his revolver, a 1902 38 cal Smith & Wesson, from a hidden holster on the inside of his vest. “I will, cause I'll shoot them dead if I catch them.” Then he turned towards Enrique again. “We understand each other now, yes?”

The bartender nodded slowly, praying his manager wasn’t trigger happy with the way he waved his gun around.

“Good then,” Maxwell muttered, putting the revolver back into his vest, and then turned around and started off back down the hall, and beyond the game room so he could return to his office.

Both Victoria and Enrique felt immediate relief once he had left.

“That man is like an untamed beast that just wanders out of its cave whenever it feels like it,” She remarked in attempt to get a smile or even a laugh out of Enrique, but she could still see he looked rather intimidated for the moment and frowned.

“Oh, sweetie,” She sighed sadly. “You can’t allow him to get to you like that. It only feeds his fire.”

Enrique uttered a quiet sigh in response as he walked up to the counter to collect the bottle and the glasses so he could finish cleaning up before his shift was over. But then the next thing he knew she had gotten up and headed over there, wrapping her arms around him in a loving hug.

“Thank you, Miss Thompson.” He attempted to smile, when she gave him a soft peck on his left cheek.

“There, there now,” she cooed sweetly, adoring his smile. “Now that’s more like it.”

Enrique couldn’t help but blush.

“Now you go on and tidy up this space,” she instructed while gently patting the side of his face. “I’m going to go have a little chat with our dear, sweet fiend, all right?”

He nodded and gave a soft smile in return.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

She then picked up her purse and flask before swiftly making her way into the game room, where she turned the corner and proceeded to head up the creaky old wooden staircase which led to Maxwell’s office. By the time she made it to the top, she could already hear him speaking to someone over the phone, and quietly pressed her ear against the door listening for any details. From what she could gather he was must have been talking with someone of great importance, yet the second she started knocking on the door, she noticed how hastily he seemed to have ended the call, before answering with, “Come in already!”

He surely must have known she’d been standing out there all along.

“Who were you on the phone with just now?” She asked curiously as she walked inside and then closed the door behind her.

Maxwell had the most tiresome look on his face as he sat there at his desk collapsed into his chair. She had to wonder if he might have gotten a good talking to.

“It was the bloody man himself,” Maxwell sighed with frustration as he sat himself upright in the chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “He just had himself a bit of a wobbly over the lack of patrons we’ve been getting here lately. So he told me we had better schedule a game for this week or else he would take matters into his own hands.”

Victoria gasped with shock. “Whatever do you think he means exactly? What would he do to us?”

“I don’t know, Miss Thompson,” Maxwell retorted with obvious sarcasm. “It probably means he’d kill us! What the shite else do you bloody think it means? If he’s not getting the payout then he isn’t happy.”

“So then we plan another heist?” She suggested next. “Use that money to cover up the lack of patrons. That should work shouldn’t it? As for the game, we can still schedule that and not have to worry if our star player wins or not. What have we got to lose, Mr. Graham?”

Maxwell seemed to be muttering unintelligibly for the moment, when Victoria suddenly walked over and grabbed their old crudely drawn map of the city off the wall, and laid it out across his desk.

“It’s been over a month since we last hit this place,” She then pointed to one of the previous markers located about four miles from their place of business. “I say we hit there again while the hittin’s good. The police are still looking for a couple of robbers in Gambler’s Strip, they’ve long since forgotten all about the crime here in downtown Atlantis. This would be our best bet.”

However, Maxwell didn’t seem to agree. “I’m not so sure, Miss Thompson. I think we’re on borrowed time if you ask me.”

She gave him a snooty look in response, her blue-green eyes fierce. “Oh don’t tell me you’re already throwing in the towel. You got me into this, remember? Therefore I’m all in, whether or not the stakes are high. We need that money and you are going to help me.”

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In the meantime, as Justin Church was still wandering around downtown a couple blocks away, he noticed a strange eerie kind of glow coming from the city mausoleum building across the street. He rubbed his eyes at first, wanting to be sure that what he was seeing now wasn’t just a figment of his imagination.

“What in the cosmos is that?” He wondered as he gazed ahead while thinking about heading over there for a better look himself, when he suddenly pointed it out to another man walking by wearing a black coat and a derby hat. “You see that light over there, right?” Justin pointed out, which prompted the man to have a look for himself.

“Yeah I see it all right,” the man answered. “Must be from some kind of ceremony I bet.”

Justin cocked his head to the side in confusion. “Huh?”

“Sorry I really don’t know,” the man responded, then and proceeded on his way.

“Figures.” Justin mumbled to himself when he began heading closer, only to spot a familiar face of a young man up ahead as they were leaning up against the worn brick wall of a nearby building.

 _Oh it’s that guy again_. Justin looked over at the young man with the short dark brown mop of hair and the leather jacket, puffing on his cigarette as though everyone else around him didn’t exist. And Justin even had a nickname for the guy too: _Mr. Mopes A-lot_ , especially since the guy appeared to be brooding every time Justin saw him. But there was more behind the mask and unfortunately Justin knew more than he wanted to.

He didn’t know the young man’s name, but he knew he had an older brother who died in the AMF six years ago working as a test pilot for a new prototype that ended up catching fire and crashing. Nobody had known it at the time but someone had planted a bomb on that craft, and it wasn’t until Justin had agreed to work on a new top secret project for the AMF and its partnering company Atlantech, that he discovered the evidence of the bomb after he examined the remnants of the craft’s engine and found chemical traces that had been left behind.

It was a rather damning discovery, and something Atlantech had failed to do on their own and instead would have preferred to just shut everything down than try to look deeper into the issue. Not to mention that the fact the one to show them up had been none other than a seventeen year old corporal, and while Justin should have felt proud over his accomplishment he couldn’t help but feel sorry for that young man.

Only his sympathy seemed to wane the moment their eyes met, and he was greeted by an icy blue scowl, since the young man appeared to recognize him too from one of their earlier encounters, back when Justin had walked out of a gift shop and they ran right into each other. Justin had spotted a pair of charred looking dog-tags hanging about the man’s neck and that’s when it hit him.

“Look, I don’t want any trouble, okay?” Justin said, raising his hands. “I know I pissed you off the last time, so I’m sorry.”

The scowl hadn’t left Brian’s face. “Screw you!” Brian spat as he walked by.

Justin was beginning to feel very angry now. “Hey the least you can do is show some respect!” He called after Brian, when out of the corner of his eye he noticed that light coming from the building had begun to grow even brighter.

“Over my dead body,” Brian rudely quipped, while Justin was too busy trying to figure out what was behind that strange source of light. “You can all hang for all I care.”

And then for a split second Brian had Justin’s full attention once again.

“Excuse me?” Justin whirled around clenching his fists. “The hell is your problem, pal? Are you also drinking Morane’s cocktail just like the rest of the people? What? Can’t think for yourself? Does Morane do that too?”

Brian continued glaring at him without saying another word, and that’s when Justin was drawn back to the mysterious light.

 _What the hell is going on?_ Justin wondered then, observing as the light slowly began to engulf the building surrounding it. There he could see everyone else around him stopping to watch as well, staring at the light in awe.

“It must be our lord and savior, he’s finally returned to us!” An old woman exclaimed with delight. “The devil man’s reign of terror has come to an end. We are all free!”

Justin then noticed some of the other people stopping and joining her in prayer as though waiting for the light to consume them too. But in truth nobody had any idea what was happening. It could have been the end of all of them for all they knew.

 _Could she be right?_ Justin thought now as the light continued to expand around them. _Are we finally being saved? Did all the prayers actually work? And to think I ever stopped praying myself. I feel like that was a big mistake now_.

But before any of them could ponder any further about what was happening, that’s about the time the light had swallowed all of them up along with the rest of the great metropolis. And the moment it happened Justin felt the most searing burning pain ever imagined, as if he had been set ablaze. And neither could he open his eyes either to see if he was alone or if everyone else was apparently roasting alive along side of him. He couldn’t even hear his own screams nor the screams of anyone else, as if sound didn’t exist anymore. Were they all dead now? He didn’t know but whatever had happened to them all it was out of their control, and the only thing left to do was wait.

* * *


	3. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Different personalities collide and many are left wondering where the hell they are as well as what the hell even happened? For some it really does feel a lot like hell.

Chapter 3: First Impressions

Justin gasped for air as his large green eyes shot open and he found himself sprawled out on his back, staring straight up at a dark orange sky with the silhouettes of teetering buildings hanging in the distance; the remnants from some kind of city he guessed. _Hopefully not Atlantis._

“Where the hell am I?” He asked himself as he sat up, feeling the cold, damp soil beneath his hands.

“Ugh!” Justin cried out with disgust, immediately shaking his hands trying to get the mud off of them, when he heard a strange humming noise coming from the distance and he began to search around.

“Feels like I’ve died and gone to hell,” Justin bemoaned as he looked up just in time to see some strange maroon colored, crustacean like flying creature passing overhead.

“What in the?” His eyes widened with both fear and utter curiosity.

Justin quickly ducked, hoping that thing didn’t see him, but right as he did, it was followed by several more of the same creatures. “Jesus, what are those things? And just what kind of a place is this? Where’s Atlantis?”

Then he suddenly heard a low groan, and looked over to his left where he saw that guy with the leather jacket lying face down in the mud too.

Of course Justin’s immediate reaction was a feeling of relief that he wasn’t alone after all, but then he remembered their little confrontation before they ended up in this strange world, and prayed that this guy wouldn’t pick up where they left off.

“W-w-where am I?” Brian asked groggily, lifting his face up out of the soil.

“That’s what I’d like to know too,” Justin mentioned, prompting Brian to look in his direction.

“I think we’ve all died and this is our hell.”

“You again!” Brian scowled as he wiped the dirt off his face using the sleeve of his jacket.

“Yeah well I’m not so happy to see you either.” Justin crossed his arms. “But right now you’re the least of my worries, especially now that there’s flying crabs about.”

Brian shot him a strange look. “What are you even talking about?”

“I saw these things flying in the sky,” Justin explained. “They’re red or dark purple with a Cyclops like eye. And these large pincer like claws I saw at least a dozen of them not that long ago.”

“I see?” Brian narrowed his eyes as he rose to his feet and looked around them. “This looks kind of familiar,” He commented.

“Yeah, like an apocalypse maybe?” Justin remarked, getting up as well while brushing the rest of the dirt off his uniform.

Brian rolled his eyes. “I’m referring to the books about Earth,” he said recollecting. “I remember the pictures, ones of landscapes in particular.”

Justin’s eyes got big. “Do you think that’s where we are? I mean, could we have possibly been sent back to the home world of our ancestors?”

Brian gave a shrug. “Maybe?”

“Whoa,” Justin remarked in awe. “But if this is earth then what’s with the flying crabs?”

“I don’t really care,” Brian said harshly, straightening his back. “And just because you’re the only other person around doesn’t instantly make us friends either.”

Justin huffed. “Oh yeah? Well don’t worry yourself, James Dean. Cause the idea of you and I becoming friends is enough to put me in the meat wagon.”

“Glad we agree on something,” Brian replied coldly. “Now if you’ll excuse me I’m gonna head to that city and look for other survivors, since I have a feeling it’s not just us out here.”

“Oh yeah? There’s flying crabs!” Justin argued. “And judging by the looks of things around here I’d say they’re probably not very friendly, so I wouldn’t be wandering off alone if I were you, not unless you want to become their noon-time snack!”

Brian shot Justin a crazed look. “You should listen to yourself cause you sound insane.”

“Oh I do!” Justin hurled back, crossing his arms. “I know what I saw too, just you wait, you’ll see them soon enough, even sooner if you go it alone.”

Brian shook his head in disbelief. “So what are you suggesting then, huh?”

“That I come with you of course,” Justin answered, which only made Brian groan.

“Hey, I know we don’t like each other at all but it would be stupid for either of us to get left behind,” Justin explained. “We don’t know where we are or even where we’re going, but at the same time it’s just better to stick together, at least until we find others, then we can go our own way, how’s that sound?”

“Fine,” Brian agreed reluctantly. “Just promise me you’ll shut up about flying crabs, okay?”

“You got it,” Justin replied as they started heading off.

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It was only about half an hour later when they finally reached the city, just to find it completely deserted and not a single building the least bit familiar looking.

Then once they got close enough, Brian stopped and took a look around them, surveying the damage. All he could see were a bunch of old buildings and homes that were practically destroyed, as though something had blasted them to pieces, as chunks of rubble and debris lay scattered about all over.

Justin also found the scenery to be quite horrifying, wondering if those flying crabs he wasn’t allowed to speak of again might have had something to do with it.

“This place looks like a warzone,” Brian said as he looked around. “But I’ve never seen any of these buildings before, so now I know for sure it wasn’t our home.”

Justin couldn’t help but frown. “You don’t think it was the Tjatey that did this do you?”

“Of course it was!” Brian replied convincingly. “What other race has the power to level an entire city like this? I’d be shocked if it isn’t them and it’s some other race we’ve never encountered until now.”

“Like my flying crabs?” Justin suggested, causing Brian to roll his eyes.

“Yeah like them.”

Justin kicked at a small chunk of rubble, where it flung right into a nearby pile of debris beside them.

“No sign of survivors so far either,” he sighed, when Brian suddenly spotted what appeared to be a small framed family photo of a man, woman, and child. He picked it up and looked it over, letting the remaining shards of glass fall off of it.

“The picture is in color,” Brian commented, looking over at Justin. “Not even tinted it’s in actual color. This really isn’t our world.”

Justin frowned. “And those people are probably all dead too.”

“Yeah, most likely,” Brian agreed as he dropped the picture back into the dirt. “But there’s still a chance that others from our city ended up here too. Now all we’ve gotta do is find them.”

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While elsewhere, and in what appeared to be some kind of large dense forest, both Victoria and Maxwell were feeling utterly confused and lost as they wandered their way through this new nightmare of trees. Twigs snapped and cracked beneath their feet, while Victoria’s coat kept getting snagged on the surrounding branches that stuck out like a bunch of arms trying to grab her. Neither of them had any idea where they were, but after only being here for a short time they immediately loathed this place, whatever it was.

And for the time being it seemed as though they were the only ones lost in this place, as Enrique appeared to also be missing, despite the fact he’d been inside the same building before they ended up out here. But Victoria seemed to be the only one who noticed and cared about the bartender’s whereabouts, and even took it upon herself to search around for him, while Maxwell decided he would find his own way out of this apparent mess of trees.

“Enrique, sweetie, are you there?” Victoria called out and listened but heard no response. She did this several more times before a look of sadness blanketed her face, then decided to give up her search for now and catch up to Maxwell before he had gotten too far away. She couldn’t believe he was the only other person she was stuck with, but she knew she was better off tagging along with him than trying to make it on her own.

“It’s all so hopeless,” Victoria sighed sadly once she caught up with her snob of a partner, when they soon made it out of the woodlands, coming across a landscape of open fields and what appeared to be some kind of dirt road. It was probably the only thing either of them had been familiar with, but it still didn’t explain the mystery of how they got here.

But then as Victoria opened her mouth to speak, Maxwell quickly raised his hand and hushed her so she wouldn’t interrupt his train of thought.

“Well it’s definitely some kind of road or path,” Maxwell pointed out. “But where it leads to is the bigger question?”

Victoria felt irritated by him, but also in awe over the beauty of the surrounding valley before her eyes with its majestic snowed capped mountains in the far distance, and the clear blue sky above. It was something neither she nor Maxwell had ever seen back home and it was absolutely breathtaking, although she appeared to be the only one who appreciated it.

“Just look at that,” She pointed out, watching as a flock of wild birds flew on by overhead. “This is one thing I thought I’d never ever see.”

She could feel herself becoming a little emotional over the beauty of this land, while also enjoying the warmth of the sun’s rays as they shone down on her, making the sequins of her dress shimmer in its light.

“It’s all so amazing, isn’t, Maxwell?” She turned and looked at her partner who seemed a bit occupied with dumping a pebble out of one of his loafers whilst mumbling over how much he hated it out here.

“Ugh, how disgusting!” Victoria suddenly retched once she caught wind of his stinky, sweaty socks. “Hold still.” She told him then, as she reached into her purse and pulled out a small bottle of lilac perfume then began spraying it around his feet.

Maxwell scowled, and pinched his nose closed between his thumb and forefinger, trying not to gag from the overwhelming fumes as he slipped his foot back into his shoe.

“How is it we ended up here at all?” He asked next, scratching his head. “One moment we’re in my office discussing what to do about the man, then the next we are out here in bloody lord knows where? I tell you it doesn’t make a lick of sense, does it?”

“No it doesn’t,” she agreed as she surveyed the area around them. “But it’s a lot better than having to worry about Morane and how to solve our money troubles.” Then she turned her focus back to the dirt road ahead of them. “And it’s obvious this road leads somewhere. So why don’t we just follow it for now and see where it goes? Maybe it will lead us right into a town or something? Hopefully one with a bar since I could go for a drink right about now.” She then removed her coat and slung it over her right shoulder like a pelt.

“You and your booze,” Maxwell quipped as he wiped the sweat from his brow and started walking ahead of her.

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The heat from the sun was already beginning to irritate him. However, it wasn’t the only irritation as she followed after him and started singing off key, and in French no less.

_“Dites-nous, Joséphine puisqu'on te revoit charmante et divine, dites-nous, Joséphine quel est cet émoi  
qu'en toi je devine?”_

Maxwell’s left eye twitched as he sizzled with rage now, fighting the urge to turn his revolver on her.

 _“Dites-nous, Joséphine oui, dites-nous pourquoi ton cœur s'illumine_ —

“Will you knock that off!” He rudely cut her off, as he quickly whirled around and shook his fist in her face. “It’s bad enough it’s a bloody sauna out here, that the last thing I need to hear before I drop dead from dehydration is your shite singing!”

“Well it’s not like there’s a radio out here for us to listen to,” She huffed in defense, and then pulled her compact mirror out of her purse to make sure all the sweat on her face hadn’t ruined her makeup. Judging from what she saw it hadn’t thankfully, but she had to agree with Maxwell that it indeed felt like a sauna out here, wherever they were.

Maxwell grumbled something unintelligibly, and began walking ahead of her once more. After putting her mirror away, she continued to follow after him and without so much as a peep since she’d already gotten on his nerves with her singing. She didn’t want to test the waters any further, especially since she knew the man was still carrying a loaded revolver hidden in his vest and wasn’t afraid to use it.

But soon the idea of a quick and painless death didn’t seem so bad compared to the harsh brutality of this heat wave. Even worse once they realized the sun’s rays had actually burned their pale skin, leaving it hot to the touch as well as tender and sore. At one point, Victoria had to even stop and remove her heels before she could continue walking, as the terrain beneath their feet was rather bumpy and rough, and the road seemed to go on and on forever.

“I don’t think I can walk anymore, Maxwell.” Victoria suddenly stopped and dropped her coat to the ground along with her purse. Her feet now ached so badly through the thin fabric of her stockings that she almost regretted her choice in fashion. She also couldn’t ignore the stinging sensation on her bare arms as it had become simply unbearable.

“Ugh, I take back what I said. I’d much rather face Morane than this!” She bemoaned. “This place is awful! It burns my skin! And this road just seems to go on and on forever. What if it never ends?” She began to panic. “What if this is hell and we’ve been sent here to suffer for all the rotten things we’ve ever done? That must explain why my skin feels like it’s on fire, surely we’ve died and gone straight to hell.”

Maxwell began to wonder this himself, as he stopped and mopped the sweat from his stinging face once more. “I suppose we could be dead.” His eyes searched around for any other signs of people. “And if this in indeed hell, well I guess it was coming sooner than later.”

“Oh don’t say that!” She suddenly fell to her knees and began sobbing. “That must explain why Enrique isn’t here with us. He’s gone off to heaven instead. Bless his heart. He was always one of the good ones, but not us. Not me!”

Maxwell rolled his eyes. “Oh quit your bloody bawling. No sense in crying over the inevitable you know? We had this coming to us all along just like I said.”

Victoria scowled as she wiped her tears away. “Oh, why did I ever listen to you in the first place?” She chastised hoarsely, clenching her fists. “You were the one who told me I’d only ever make it as a criminal, all because I wasn’t cut out for stardom!”

“I never said you had to listen to me,” Maxwell flung back at her, crossing his arms. “I said you had a bloody choice and you chose the life of a criminal, Miss Thompson. So that’s all on you! If you want to get bloody mad at somebody, get mad at yourself!”

She bowed her head and sulked. “You’re right, Maxwell. It is on me. I should have made better choices in life but I didn’t and now that it’s time to pay, I guess I’m just not ready to face those consequences just yet.”

“None of us ever are, Miss Thompson,” Maxwell admitted then, when all of sudden he thought he heard something off in the distance.

“I should have gone to church, that’s what I should have done,” Victoria sighed sadly, staring down at the ground. “Then I wouldn’t be stuck here with _you_.” She then looked up at him and furrowed her brow.

Maxwell appeared too distracted for the moment as he continued listening to that roaring sound, wondering just what it could be.

“What are you doing?” She asked as she watched him pace back and forth like a lunatic.

“I hear something,” He replied anxiously. “And if you’d shut it with your self loathing over there you could probably hear it too.”

She grew quiet and listened to see what he was talking about, when she suddenly heard it as well. “That sounds like some kind of vehicle.” Her eyes grew wide. “It’s getting closer.”

“Hell or not they could be our ticket out of this place,” Maxwell suggested, scratching his chin.

Victoria suddenly stood back up and started walking down the road again, watching and waiting with eagerness as the sound of engines drew closer, until they both spotted what looked to be a strange band of mysterious riders; an armored truck and two armored looking bike riders of some type. Neither Victoria nor Maxwell had ever witnessed anything quite like it before. But the experience turned even more bizarre once their attention was drawn to the noise above them, where they looked up and spotted two blue and white airborne crafts soaring overhead moments after, with one of them notably larger than the other.

Tears of joy now filled Victoria’s eyes as she started running towards the mysterious motorists, attempting to flag them down by waving her arms. “Stop, please!” She cried out sharply in desperation, hoping they would be kind enough to listen. “Please! We need help!”

Maxwell on the other hand, seemed a bit leery of the approaching convoy, and slowly began reaching for his revolver in case these strangers weren’t the least bit friendly. Yet as Victoria happened to look back she’d caught him just in time, and demanded he put it away immediately.

“Put that damn thing away before they see it!” She scolded him. “Are you trying to ruin our only chance of getting out of here?”

Maxwell grumbled to himself, and quickly returned the weapon to its hiding place, when they soon heard voices coming from the approaching riders.

“Hey, looks like they could use some help!” Shouted one of the armored bikers, who definitely sounded like a young male.

“You know what they say about picking up strangers, right?” A female voice shouted in response. “Or haven’t you seen those movies?”

“They definitely look lost!” A younger female voice added. “What are those two doing way out here? Aren’t they afraid of the Invid?”

Victoria felt overwhelmed with excitement once they got a little closer for her to see. “They see us, Maxwell!” Victoria exclaimed with joy and relief as she watched as the mysterious band of riders came to a sudden halt in the middle of the road right in front of them.

“Oh, thank heavens you stopped,” Victoria proclaimed gratefully as she walked up to one of the armored riders, noting the handsome youthful male face looking back at her through his blue tinted face-bowl helmet. “You see, my business partner here and I are lost and don’t know where we are or how to get out of here, so could you and your friends maybe give us a lift?”

Just then, the young man lifted up the visor of his helmet as though to get a better view of her himself; giving her the once-over when all of a sudden another voice broke through the speaker of his helmet while sounding rather agitated too.

“Hey, what’s going on down there, Rand?” The gravelly voice demanded. “Why have you guys stopped? Is there something wrong down there? Is it the Invid?”

Rand responded to him immediately. “Negative, spaceman. Just a couple of hitchhikers out here who’re lookin for a lift is all, over.”

Victoria then gazed up and saw those two blue and white colored jet like crafts soaring over them like a couple of majestic birds in the sky. _A spaceman huh?_ She wondered to herself. _I sure hope he’s friendly._

“One of them is probably a woman too,” another voice teased through the tac net of Rand’s helmet, making his face fluster a bit from embarrassment. “Why else would he stop?”

“Oh har, har, real funny, Lancer,” Rand remarked in annoyance. “So are we going to help these people out or not?”

Victoria couldn’t help but worry then as she waited for some kind of answer, knowing that no matter what was decided her fate was sealed.

“First of all who are those people?” The mysterious one called spaceman asked Rand next.

“Well, you heard the man, so who are you people?” Rand asked Victoria who appeared eager enough to introduce herself.

“Victoria Thompson,” She replied in a rather seductive tone in attempt to persuade him. “And that would be my business partner over there, Maxwell Graham,” She gestured at Maxwell with her hand.

Rand gave her another curious once over while noting hers and Maxwell’s peculiar attire. “You two late for a costume party or somethin?”

Victoria blinked with confusion. “I beg your pardon?”

Rand ignored her as he responded to his leader once more. “They told me their names are Victoria and Maxwell, so are we gonna help them or not?”

“Yep, I knew it!” Lancer remarked with an amused chuckle.

Then as Victoria waited on the spaceman’s final answer, she couldn’t help but notice the little red haired girl in the green jumpsuit and red cap seated in the passenger side of the truck watching her, as well as the curious looking pink haired woman in the orange faded jacket beside her. The beefy man sitting in the driver’s seat of the vehicle was also a sight to behold. He looked like one of those gentle giant types but with rather brutish features about him.

“So another Maxwell huh?” The mysterious spaceman remarked next, sounding agitated once more.

Victoria shot Maxwell an odd look. “He doesn’t sound too fond of your name, maybe you should change it?”

Maxwell rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

“Come on, Scott,” Rand argued back with impatience. “These people need our help we can’t just leave em’ out here or the Invid might get them.”

Victoria gasped in fright and clutched at her breast. “What in heavens? What might get us now?”

“All right fine, we’ll help them,” Scott finally responded. “But we need to set up camp, it’ll be dark soon.”

“Roger that!” Rand answered him, and then patted the rear of his seat, gesturing for Victoria to climb on board. “Hop on, Goldilocks. It’s your lucky day!”

Victoria seemed hesitant at first as she looked the bizarre looking motorcycle up and down, wondering about her safety on that thing. “I’m not gonna fall off am I?” She asked worriedly.

“Well not if you hold on tight,” Rand replied “But I’m sure you can do it, so go ahead and climb on.”

“But what about Maxwell?” She asked him next. “Or is he going to ride pillion with your other comrade here?” She looked over at the young blonde female rider in the red armor who immediately declined. Whoever she was she looked like a force to be reckoned with.

“No thanks, he can ride with Lunk. I’m sure there’s plenty of room in the back,” Rook replied.

Lunk then gave Maxwell a friendly wave and gestured for him to take a seat in the back of his vehicle.

Maxwell immediately felt a bit intimidated by the size of the man, which only made him hesitate until Victoria gave him a good shove forward.

“Would you hurry it up already?” She snapped. “The longer you keep putzing around the longer we’re gonna be stuck out here, and I doubt these fine people want to wait anymore than they have to.”

Rand appeared to agree with her. “Goldilocks here is right, so get a move on!”  
  


Maxwell clenched his teeth then as he made his way over to the armored jeep and climbed into the back seat. It wasn’t very spacious at all due to the clutter of obvious supplies, but it was a whole lot better than walking.

“That also means you too, lady!” Rand said next, looking at Victoria as she reached down and picked her coat up off of the ground, slipped it back on, and then picked up her purse as well before hopping up onto the back of the bike’s seat.

It felt a little rough on her butt as she swung her other leg over, straddling the seat while leaning forward to wrap her arms around Rand’s armored waist, but not before shutting her eyes tight.

Rook couldn’t help but notice Rand appeared to be enjoying this a little too much, and she sighed with disgust before firing up her cyclone and taking off to catch up with the others flying overhead.

“Hold on here we go!” Rand announced rather excitedly as he revved the cyclone’s engine a bit as though to show off, before taking off at full speed in order to catch up with Rook.

But before Maxwell went to sit down in the back of Lunk’s armored truck, the man suddenly stepped on the gas, causing the vehicle to jerk forward, throwing Maxwell back against the seat on his side, now hanging on for dear life once the vehicle got into gear and began following after the others.

“Shite!” Maxwell yelped in pain as Annie peered over the front seat at him.

“You better watch your mouth Mister!” She scolded him, only to receive a scathing scowl in return. He wondered just how much more he could stand with this place.

_If we don’t back home soon I’m going to kill someone!_ He crossed his arms and pouted angrily.

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In the meantime, William Sterling and Stan Winston were busy wandering around in some kind of desert located thousands of miles away from the location of Maxwell, Victoria, and the band of freedom fighters that had just rescued them.

Tumbleweeds, large and small, rolled across the desert floor as the sun’s rays were beating down on the backs of the two men, causing only William to sweat.

“How the hell did we get here, Stan?” William asked wiping the sweat from his brow. “One moment we’re chatting by the gate and then the next we’re out in this place. It’s almost like a switch was flipped. That’s how fast it happened. I don’t understand it?”

Stan’s eyes searched around them, surveying the strange and new landscape. “I don’t either.”

“And how is it you’re not even sweating out here?” William demanded to know, feeling agitated by the sweltering heat wave. “There isn’t a single drop of sweat on you!”

Stan soon spotted what appeared to be a town in the distance. “Up there,” He pointed out as William turned and looked in the same direction.

“Well that’s good to know. Do you think there’s any other survivors there from Atlantis City?”

“Possibly,” Stan answered, even though he wasn’t really sure himself. “Let’s head there now and find out.”

But once they neared closer to the town, William and Stan were immediately greeted by a crowd of unwelcoming townsfolk. Some of the men among them were armed as they hurried out of the buildings and immediately surrounded the two strange soldiers.

“Not the welcoming party I was expecting,” William mentioned to Stan, who was keeping a close eye on these people. “But I have to say this place reminds me of one of those old westerns, wouldn’t you say, Stan?”

“Hold it right there you two!” A short, stocky sheriff, with a handlebar mustache, wearing a fedora, and sheepskin coat, warned as he emerged from the crowd.

He cautiously approached Stan and William, as he aimed his six-gun in their direction, letting them know he meant business.

William slowly raised his hands as though to surrender, while Stan remained defiant.

“The man’s bushy brows knitted as he looked up at Stan. “Now I don’t want any trouble, especially from a big fella like you, so put em up.”

Stan glared back, while knowing that it would only take him a single second to whip that revolver right out of that man’s hands and snap the muzzle in half. But on the other hand, he could see the look his friend William was giving him and it was a look that asked him to comply.

“Fine,” Stan muttered, raising his hands, still resisting the urge to attack this stranger.

“We’ve done nothing wrong,” William explained then. “We’re not even from here.”

The sheriff chuckled. “Oh yeah, and just where are you from, robby?”

“Atlantis City,” Stan answered, causing the sheriff and the other people in the crowd to laugh it up.

“That’s a good one!” The Sheriff remarked. “And you can tell the judge all about it too.”

William shot Stan a worried look. “It’s like they don’t believe us at all. What do we do now?”

Just then, Stan spotted a man from the crowd flashing a noose at them while laughing with the others.

He glared at the man with a burning hatred, knowing that soon he would no longer be in control of his own actions.

“Stan?” William called over to his best friend, seeing that look of fury in his eyes and knowing he was about to strike soon; a rattlesnake in waiting.

“You there!” Stan suddenly called out to the man with the noose. “Bring that closer. I’d like to have a better look.”

“Would you now?” The man taunted him, as he foolishly walked right up to Stan, like a mouse entering the snake’s den.

“You there, stop it!” The sheriff warned, upon realizing that Stan was up to no good now. “Stop or I’ll shoot ya!”

But it was too late. Stan had already had that man by the throat now, and violently yanked the noose out of his hand, nearly breaking every last one of the man’s fingers and wrist in the process.

The loud harsh sound of cracking bones was almost too unbearable for William to stand and it made him cringe.

“Put him down, sonny or I’ll shoot!” The sheriff warned again.

“Go ahead and shoot me!” Stan snarled, refusing to let the man go. “Because this is how it’s going to work. You either let us go or I’ll kill this man, and anyone else who tries to stop me. The choice is yours, sheriff.”

The rest of the crowd gasped in horror as they backed away, while others were hesitant to attack.

William looked on in horror. “Stan?” He frowned, beginning to feel as though he didn’t know his best friend anymore.

“No, William,” Stan replied with fury. “This is how it has to be. We fight back or we lose our lives.” Then he looked at the sheriff again. “Have you made your decision already? Because I’m beginning to lose my patience.”

“Just let us go,” William pled, looking the sheriff in the eye. “I know you don’t want anyone to die, and neither do I. So let’s just put a stop to this violence right now. Stan and I will go peacefully and never cross paths with any of you ever again. I swear on my grave. But I don’t want this and I’m sure a man like yourself who cares about his people doesn’t want this either.”

“Fine!” The sheriff narrowed his dark eyes at both of them, while lowering his revolver. “You’re both free to go.

Upon hearing those words, Stan released the man, letting him fall to the desert floor like a piece of trash, watching as he gasped for air. Then as the man glanced up at Stan, he saw the towering giant take his noose and snap it into two pieces, dropping them to the ground beside him. It appeared the man had learned his lesson.

Both of you get out now!” The sheriff barked madly. “Let the Invid deal with ya!”

William furrowed his brow. “Don’t worry we wouldn’t dream of setting foot in this hellhole again.”

Then he and Stan turned their backs on the people and quickly hurried off, trying to get as far away from that town as possible now.

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“Why couldn’t it have been a ghost town?” William wondered, walking along side his mysterious friend as they ended up in the middle of nowhere again.

“By the way you were right about what you said. I only wish we could have done things differently,” He sighed. “There must have been another way, right?”

“There wasn’t,” Stan answered in a deep, gruff voice. “So get used to it.”

William stopped in his tracks and frowned, while Stan kept on walking. “I don’t believe I’ve ever heard you talk like this,” He pointed out, prompting Stan to stop as well and peer over his shoulder at him.

“You just seem much more violent than you used to be,” William continued as he started walking again to catch up to him. “What’s happened to you?”

Stan suddenly stopped again and turned around to face William head on now.

“You don’t understand what’s happening here do you?” Stan questioned him.

William shook his head. “Are you losing your mind, is that it?”

“No, this is survival, William,” Stan explained the best he could. “This world is in shambles, I sense a war. How else do you explain such hostility from the natives? They’ve accepted their fate, while disregarding any sense of morality.”

William shot Stan a concerned look. “So does that mean we have to do the same?”

“The people have given up the fight,” Stan said with impassiveness. “Why else would they view soldiers as the enemy?”

“Just like back home, huh?” William quipped. “I guess we’re seen as the enemy no matter where we are.”

Stan had to agree that William was right. It seemed things weren’t so different after all. Only that sheriff didn’t appear anything like Morane at all.

“That sheriff mentioned something about Invid,” William then recalled. “Do you think that’s who or what conquered them?”

“Likely,” Stan answered as he surveyed the landscape around them. With the way the sun was positioned in the sky he could already tell it would be setting soon and then they’d have to find their way in the dark. “We just haven’t had the pleasure of running into them yet. But in the meantime, I think it would be wise to find some kind of shelter before nightfall, so we don’t end up more lost than we already are.”

“Good point,” William agreed. “Although I would think we’d be used to the darkness since that’s all we’ve ever known before. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing actual day light. It almost kind of burns my eyes.”

But Stan had to disagree. “Back home there were city lights to guide us, here it will be nothing but total darkness without any kind of light source. That is my biggest concern. Now let’s go.” He then took off, leading the way.

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Once nightfall arrived, the group of freedom fighters and their two new strange guests, had stopped and set up a camp somewhere in the woodlands where they now sat huddled on logs around a nice warm fire, drinking coffee and eating roasted rabbit that Rand had managed to catch just before sunset. The fire was cozy at least, but Victoria felt a little overwhelmed from all the new scenery, as well as having so many new faces around that kept giving her and Maxwell strange looks. Was it their attire or what? She didn’t quite understand, but somehow Rand’s little comment from earlier had stuck with her, when he asked if she and Maxwell were late for a costume party. Maybe he hadn’t intended on coming across in an insulting manner, but she couldn’t deny that’s how it felt.

Aside from that, both Victoria and Maxwell also felt a little disgusted by their first meal in this new place, as they weren’t used to eating something caught in the wild, especially after seeing the way it had been skinned and gutted before their very eyes before it was cooked over an open fire. Yet Victoria found it hard to believe that Maxwell of all people found the butchering of a mere rabbit disgusting, when he had zero qualms about sawing a human corpse into pieces. She supposed everybody had their limits and that butchered animals was simply his.

However, their disgust wasn’t lost on Rand, and he told them that if they wanted to make it out there they would have to eat whatever was available. He seemed to know a lot about survival which was both interesting and terrifying to say the least, but Victoria couldn’t deny she’d taken a liking to him already, even if he didn’t approve of her choice in fashion.

The other members of the group also seemed nice enough, even their mysterious group leader Scott Bernard, who beforehand sounded as though he didn’t want to take any chances with them at all. But while he was respectful, it was obvious he still felt a bit distrustful towards the two newcomers, and with good reason. He didn’t know them or whether or not they were up to no good, despite the fact they had claimed to be lost and in need of help. So for now he would simply keep an eye on them and act accordingly if they dared to try anything foolish.

But on the other hand, Victoria didn’t take so kindly to the judgmental look Scott was giving them, especially her, as though she’d already done something he didn’t approve of. Perhaps he also didn’t approve of her clothing? Whatever the hell the reason, it was it was lost on her, and while she felt like saying something right then and there to call him out, she decided he just wasn’t worth the headache on top of her already sun burnt skin, and so after she finished eating she got up and walked away. She figured that man could focus all his negative attention on Maxwell instead, especially since the snob didn’t appear the least bit bothered by any of the looks the others were giving him. However, he did speak out to gripe about the lack of any seasoning on the meat, complaining that it was too plain and not to his liking at all.

Victoria hadn’t even gotten ten feet away when she heard Rand retort back to him with, “Oh yeah? Well how about you do the all the hunting and cooking next them then, huh? Then you can season the meat all you want, that is if you can find any seasoning out here to begin with.”

That apparently shut Maxwell right up. She couldn’t believe it. Rand was a natural.

A few awkward moments of silence later, the conversation started back up among them, where they discussed rationing the last of something called protoculture, as well as making estimates on how long it would take them to reach some destination known as Reflex Point, wherever or whatever that was. The name was bizarre sounding enough to Maxwell, and he didn’t give a damn either way. All he cared about was getting back home, and if these people could make that happen then great, if not then screw them. He could already tell he’d be butting heads with quite a few of them, especially Rand and their stick-up-the-butt leader. But as far as living arrangements went, Maxwell also found it just a bit too crowded and would not tolerate being packed into the back of that large man’s vehicle like some kind of sardine.

Lunk was the name of that fella, an ex soldier who looked like the kind of guy that could pummel Maxwell right into the ground with one fist should he ever make him angry. Then there was Rand, who looked kind of puny when he wasn’t encased in all that armor, and he was definitely shorter than Maxwell, but he did have his outdoorsy smarts about him. The other questionable man of this group was another soldier named Lancer, who came across as damn near feminine in his mannerisms, which seemed to confuse Maxwell. Then he quickly learned the man also lived a double life as a female singer in disguise in order to hide from his/her enemies. Maxwell had to wonder if he had any concerns with breaking a nail during a fight. Yet he too seemed capable enough.

And then there were the three females, the annoying adolescent in the green jumpsuit named Annie, the tough no-nonsense strawberry blonde woman Rook Bartley, and that timid looking female in the orange jacket with her long reddish pink hair. She’d never said a single word yet, and Maxwell had to wonder if maybe the woman was mute for sure. For the moment, she looked nearly as uncomfortable as he felt. Perhaps she too found these people just as annoying as he did ,and was merely traveling with them for the free food and whatever protection they provided. If that was the case then she wasn’t so stupid after all, Maxwell thought.

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Meanwhile, Victoria had wandered a bit a ways, although not too far that she could end up lost again, but just enough where she had enough space to breathe. She stood near the edge of a tree line with her back pressed up against the trunk of a tree and her head down. There was faint chatter coming from the campsite, but it was easy to ignore. Her mind swam with thoughts of sadness and regret, while wondering if perhaps Enrique was still lost out there somewhere or even looking for her and even Maxwell. Though she knew the young bartender would have preferred just her. And then she also wondered if the man himself might be out there somewhere as well. She couldn’t begin to imagine just how Morane would even survive out in a place like this, especially when he was used to having everything handed to him. Would he be less threatening here or worse? The thought of running into him was chilling to say the least, and she prayed that it never became reality.

Pushing those fears aside, she went back to thinking about Enrique and where he could be now. She recalled catching a glimpse of some kind of map that Scott and the others were looking at earlier, and judging from the size of the South American continent they were supposedly located in, she realized that Enrique could have ended up anywhere, maybe even in an entirely different continent altogether. She just didn’t know and that’s what upset her the most, the not knowing. Yet a part of her chose to believe he somehow ended up close to where they were and she just hadn’t found him yet.

 _I should go and search for him. I know he’d do the same for me._ She frowned as she wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging herself for warmth. She was surprised at how much colder it was at night, and even thought about turning around and heading back to fetch her coat out of the front seat of Lunk’s jeep, when she suddenly heard a sweet and friendly voice coming from behind.

“Hey are you all right?” They asked.

“Just worried about someone,” Victoria answered glumly, and then turned her head just to see that sweet looking little red haired girl with the cap looking up at her. She noticed the letters E T on the girl’s cap and wondered what that even meant. Perhaps it was the name of her favorite sports team for all Victoria knew. “He’s lost just like Maxwell and I were. Before you and your friends found us.”

“Aww, don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll find him,” the short teen replied. “My name’s Annie by the way and I love your dress where did you get it?”

Victoria felt a little more at ease now and smiled at her. “What a pleasure it is to meet you, Annie. My name is Victoria, and I got my dress from a shop back home. It wasn’t cheap either I’ll tell you that much.” She wasn’t about to admit she had purchased it with the money she and Maxwell had stolen.

“It’s so sparkly and pretty!” Annie gushed. “Are you a movie star by any chance? Cause you sure look like one!”

Maxwell suddenly rolled his eyes as he stood nearby, smoking a cigar, while listening in on their conversation in a sad attempt to amuse himself. He was thankful to discover he had a few other cigars stored away in the left pocket of his dress slacks.

“Once upon a time I was,” Victoria frowned. “But in the end they chewed me up and spit me out.”

Annie cupped a hand over her mouth and gasped. “What happened?”

Victoria sighed sadly. “It’s a long story, dear. And frankly I’m not in the mood to tell it either.”

“It’s okay I understand,” Annie replied. “Did you know Lancer over there is a star too?” She pointed out the young man with long lavender hair and yellow headband, who was seated by the fire. “His stage name is Yellow Dancer and he dresses like a woman. She’s one of the most popular singers here on earth.”

Victoria seemed a bit astonished by that little revelation. “So he’s a cross-dresser huh? Well that’s certainly interesting if I must say.” Then as she glanced down, she suddenly noticed the piece of jewelry around Annie’s neck.

“Oh my, is that an Egyptian necklace?” Victoria gazed admiringly at the Seba.

Annie looked down at the amulet. “I think so,” She replied now holding it in her hands.

“Let me see it.” Victoria knelt down on one knee for a better look as Annie held it out to her.

“You know what this is?” She asked Annie.

“I think it’s some kind of bug?” Annie answered with cluelessness.

“Close, it’s a scarab,” Victoria corrected her. “It’s a type of beetle with an iridescent shell that was very sacred to the people of Egypt. But I only know of them from what I learned of history, and also because as a girl I had a beautiful scarab brooch made of jasper which was an old family heirloom. You see my great, great, great, great grandmother on my mother’s side was a well known explorer and had quite the collection of relics. Though it looks like you’ve only got part of it here, where’s the other half?”

“They worshiped a bloody dung beetle,” Maxwell rudely interrupted them as he stood nearby puffing on his cigar. “That’s what a scarab really was. A shite bug."

Victoria wrinkled her nose and turned away from him, gesturing for Annie to do the same. “Just ignore him. So where’d you say the other half of this was?”

Annie shrugged in response. “In another universe I guess?”

Victoria chuckled. “Is that so? So where pray tell did you find this one?”

“Um, it was lost some place,” Annie answered twiddling her fingers, not wanting to talk about her misadventures in the lost world nor the mysterious ghost she’d encountered. “I found it in the dirt of some jungle. That’s all.”

“Hmm, well that’s interesting,” Victoria commented. “Is it real gold?

 _Wait a minute, gold?_ Maxwell gasped nearly dropping his cigar as he peered over his shoulder to get a better look at the amulet.

“I don’t know,” Annie replied. “Maybe?”

“Well either way it’s a lovely piece of jewelry, sweetie,” Victoria smiled and patted her on the head. “And you are simply darling, why I could just eat you up.”

Only Annie didn’t seem to appreciate that comment at all and took immediate offense.

“Hey, I’m a woman too you know?” Annie huffed and crossed her arms, which only made Victoria chuckle.

“Yes you certainly are. And I’m sure one day you’ll find a dress like mine and you’ll rule this world.”

Annie shrieked with glee. “Really?”

Just then, Rand shuddered at the very thought of that. “Don’t be giving her any ideas now,” He remarked as he fed more wood to the fire to keep it going.

“Hey mind your own business, buster!” Annie retorted with her hands on her hips.

“That’s right,” Victoria nodded. “We’re having a girl talk over here, no men allowed!”

They both started giggling.

Rand rolled his eyes and then looked over at Lancer. “Well you heard what she said, Yellow. Maybe you ought to go over there and join them. Have em get you up to date on the latest fashion trends or something?”

“Thanks, but I respectfully decline,” Lancer replied in Yellow Dancer’s lilting voice with a musing smile, when Victoria and Annie soon headed back over and sat down between him and the mute woman Marlene, who was huddled in her orange jacket still looking very uncomfortable.

“Hey is she all right?” Victoria asked the others as she looked at Marlene with concern, when Annie was the first to respond.

“It’s probably another migraine. She gets a lot of those.”

“Either that or constipation,” Victoria replied, studying the pink haired woman with utmost curiosity. “She sure doesn’t say much, does she?”

“The poor girl just has a bad case of amnesia,” Rand explained. “She was completely abandoned when we found her.”

Victoria gasped with shock. “Oh how dreadful.” She now offered Marlene a look of sympathy when it soon dawned on her that she had some medication for headaches in her purse. “Well she’s in luck because I’ve got just the thing to take care of that.” Victoria stood up then and began searching around for her purse. “If I can find that damn thing first of all,” She griped at herself, unsure of where she had it last.

But when she finally found it on the other side of the campfire, she seemed a bit surprised to find Maxwell seated next to it, looking a bit guilty as though he’d gone digging around in there for something. She presumed it was her flask he’d been after, and had probably snuck himself a drink when she wasn’t looking.

“Thanks for guarding my purse,” she quipped at him irritably as she bent down to pick it up, while unaware that Rand was trying to sneak a look under her dress in that moment, until Lancer suddenly caught on to what he was doing, and then reached over with a long stick, and poked him in the ribs. Afterwards, Rand stopped and sat himself back up just to see Lancer wagging his index finger at him in disapproval.

“What? I dropped something?” Rand quipped in attempt to save face, but Lancer wasn’t convinced in the least and neither was Rook as she gave him a look of disgust as well. Scott on the other hand, seemed oblivious, as though he were lost in his own little world for the time being, and could care less about the squabbling of his teammates. After several months of traveling together and fighting the Invid, he’d pretty much become accustomed to it.

With her purse now in tow, Victoria headed back over and sat down to rummage through it and hopefully find what she was looking for. “Ah-ha! This is it right here,” she announced to Marlene, holding the pill bottle out in her hand. “The perfect fix for any migraine, or _hangover_ for that matter,” she snorted with a laugh, and then unscrewed the cap and dumped one of the white round pills into the palm of Marlene’s hand.

The woman happily accepted, when Victoria suddenly realized the girl needed some water first. “Say, anybody have any water to spare?”

“I’ve got some right here.” Lunk responded, offering her his canteen.

“Oh, bless your heart,” Victoria replied gratefully as she accepted it from his hand, watching as Marlene suddenly put the pill into her mouth and began chewing it like food.

“Well I guess that works too?” Victoria gave a shrug, while noticing the disgusted look on the girl’s face after she’d swallowed it down.

“Here, chase it with some water.” Victoria handed her Lunk’s canteen. “Next time just swallow it, dear. That way you never have to experience that dreadful taste again.”

Marlene quickly drank from the canteen, beginning to feel much better already, although she had no idea that this feeling would only be temporary.

“Amazing that’s all it took?” Rand gasped while wondering why neither of them had thought of that before.

“What, you didn’t think to raid your medicine cabinets before you all ended up out here?” Victoria remarked wryly, while wondering just why they were here in the first place. “You’re some kind of army are you not? I thought armies were usually prepared for situations such as this?”

Yet Scott seemed to take immediate offense to her words and kindly spoke up. “Not all of us had time to prepare,” he narrowed his eyes at her, wondering the truth about her and Maxwell and what they were really doing out here.

“You and your partner don’t exactly look like you’re from around here either.” Scott then looked at Maxwell, who sneered in response. “So I think its best you tell us just who you two are and why we should even help you at all.”

“They don’t even look like they’re from this century,” Lancer added with skepticism, looking at Victoria.

In turn she huffed irritably.

“If it’s our clothes you’re mocking I wouldn’t be so quick to judge if I were you,” she shot back haughtily, wagging her pointer finger at him. “The lot of you are dressed like you’re attending some type of aerobics class with all those skin tight outfits.” Her eyes darted first from Lancer to Rook, and then over at Lunk, and last but not least the supposed leader of this band of misfits, Scott Bernard.

His uniform looked the most ridiculous of them all in her opinion; some gray-blue looking onesie with short sleeves and a blue puffy collar over some kind of crimson red bodysuit. There was also a curious looking black and white triangular patch on the left breast, which looked to spell out the letter M. It could’ve stood for moron for all she cared, and neither did those high boots or the belt and weapon holster around his waist take away from the fact that his uniform looked like a damned pair of long-johns. That’s what immediately came to mind the instant she saw it.

Not to mention that dark blue greasy slicked back hair of his, save for one pesky little strand he seemed to have missed. Victoria already pitied the poor bottle of hair gel that had been wasted on this man. But the scornful look he was giving her now was a clear indication that he meant business, and she’d better stop dancing around the question and just answer him truthfully. And so she did, or at least she gave him her half truth.

“We’re just a couple of business partners who ended up stranded in this strange world for some unknown reason,” she explained. “So you’re right,” she acknowledged, looking first at Lancer and then back at Scott. “We’re certainly not from around here, and we have no recollection of how we ended up here in the first place. For all we knew we were dead and this was our hell.”

“Sounds like another case of amnesia,” Rand chimed in looking at Marlene.

“Well neither Maxwell nor I have lost our memories I assure you,” Victoria replied defensively. “In fact, the last place we were before this happened was right inside his office.” She wasn’t about the mention the nature of that meeting, especially in front of the only people who could get her and Maxwell out of this place.

“And where is your office located?” Scott looked over at Maxwell, who had a bit of surly look on his face.

“In Atlantis City,” Maxwell answered with a blank stare as though he were dealing with an absolute moron.

“Wait a minute, are you talking about the mythological lost city?” Scott shot him a look of ridiculousness.

Victoria thought about that herself for a moment. “Well I suppose it’s lost?” She answered him. “It is rather isolated in space after all. Why do you ask?”

Scott and his team couldn’t believe what they were hearing now. “Are you telling me there is a city called Atlantis in space now?”

“Yes I am, Long-Johns,” Victoria answered, crossing her arms. “And I’m sure it’s far away from whatever this place is too.”

Scott didn’t appear to like that nickname very much.

“Uh, this would be Earth,” Rand corrected her, when she just about fainted.

“Come again?” She blinked.

“You’re on Earth, Goldilocks,” Rand reaffirmed. “Where did you think you were?”

Victoria exchanged looks with Maxwell. “Well, hell for all we knew, but certainly not here since Earth was destroyed by the Tjatey hundreds of years ago.”

“Tjatey?” Rand repeated quizzically. “Don’t you mean the Zentraedi?”

Victoria shook her head. “No I don’t. It was the Tjatey and has always been. Who are the Zentraedi?”

“And neither did the Zentraedi attack Earth hundreds of years ago,” Lancer added, while giving Maxwell and Victoria a skeptical look, when Annie suddenly looked down at the Seba and began to wonder.

“ _Ay, dios mio,_ as dear sweet Enrique would say,” Victoria sighed. “None of this makes any sense at all.”

“It sure doesn’t.” Scott shot her a stern look. “So you’d better stop playing games here, lady, and tell us the truth.”

Victoria didn’t like his tone of voice at all. “Well I assure you I am not playing games here,” She hurled back. “And how could I be sure it isn’t you that’s playing games here, huh, Mr. Long-Johns?”

Annie suddenly gasped. “It’s the Seba it must have worked after all!”

“You’ve got to be kidding!” Rand remarked with disbelief. “That hunk of junk?”

“Ammon said when the Seba was activated that two would become one or something, so that’s gotta be it. They’re not from this universe but the one where Ammon is buried!”

Victoria and Maxwell both seemed to recognize that name.

“How do you know that traitorous imbecile?” Maxwell demanded to know. “And what in bloody hell is this Seba thing?”

Annie held up the scarab amulet. “It’s this! After I found it I saw the guy in my dream. But he was a ghost!”

“Well this is all too weird for me,” Rook suddenly remarked as she looked at Rand from across the campfire. “Rand, what the heck was in that rabbit?”

“Beats me?” He shrugged.

“So if all of this is true, then Ammon must have been buried in this Atlantis City,” Scott postulated, despite how ridiculous it all sounded.

“Yes and he’s been dead for at least thirty years now,” Victoria explained. “Though, I don’t know a whole lot about him other than what I’ve heard from those around me. But if there’s one thing for certain, it’s that he wasn’t very well liked by many at all.”

“So who exactly was the guy?” Rand asked next. “Annie said he came to her in a dream to warn her or something. What was all that about?”

“He was an alien warlord,” Victoria answered. “He’s the one responsible for Earth’s destruction. Our version of Earth that is.”

Annie couldn’t help but feel angry and deceived by Ammon, wondering if she’d merely been fooled by him.

“Great,” Scott remarked with disgust. “Just what we need another enemy.”

“Wait, I thought that guy was dead though?” Rand scratched his head.

“Not dead enough to stop causing trouble it seems,” Scott quipped, which made Victoria realize she needed to correct herself before further conflict ensued between them.

“He was the enemy at first but then joined our side and fought with our people to help end the war,” She explained, hoping this would calm them all down. “And he also helped the survivors leave Earth and find a new home to build our great city. So in the end he redeemed himself you see, but still there are those who never forgave him and well, that’s where that hatred comes from.”

Annie felt a little more relieved now but still wondered why Ammon failed to mention who he really was and what he’d done.

“But what about that Seba thing?” Rand asked her. “Did you two know about it?”

Victoria shook her head. “Nope I’ve never heard of it till now, but then again it is said that Ammon had a lot of secrets, so perhaps the Seba is one of them? I don’t know.” She looked over at Annie. “You mentioned he came to you in your dream, right? So what exactly did he say about it?”

“He only said it can connect to other universes or something,” Annie answered. “And that he hid part of it here so nobody else could find it.”

Lancer shook his head disapprovingly. “Sounds like he didn’t do a very good job of that if _you_ were able to find it.”

“Indeed,” Scott agreed while finding himself more and more curious about the mystery surrounding that amulet.

“He also said that even without the other half it could still be activated and all I would have to do is put it into the fire,” Annie added.

Victoria’s face was full of dread now. “And did you?”

Annie nodded and frowned. “I did but I didn’t think it worked either because I didn’t notice anything at all.” She sniffled wiping the tears from her eyes. “It’s my fault you guys are stuck here now. I’m so sorry, Victoria!”

Upon hearing this little confession Maxwell clenched his teeth in anger, while Victoria on the other hand, felt sorry for the girl and instead, walked over and gave her a friendly hug.

“It’s all right, sweetie.” She hugged her tight. “You didn’t know what would happen, so don’t blame yourself, all right?”

Maxwell suddenly felt completely outraged. “She didn’t know?” He exclaimed, clenching his fists. “Then why’d she bloody do it in the first place!? And why in hell are you acting so calm about all this? You should be as furious as I am!”

Victoria knit her pencil line brows as she looked back at him. “Because she’s just a child, Maxwell! You can’t stand there and tell me you’ve never done anything of the sort when you were her age!”

“Afraid not, Miss Thompson, for I was a lot smarter when I was her age.” He sneered looking directly at Annie. “And since it’s her fault we ended up here then perhaps she can put that damned thing in the fire once more and send us back!”

But soon after listening to all of this madness, Scott had finally heard enough, and decided it was time to intervene. “All right everyone calm down please or you’re going to attract the Invid here with all this fighting.”

“Oh bug off you wanker!” Maxwell snapped at him. “This little twit needs to send us back home this instant! I’m losing money I just know it!”

“Excuse me?” Scott clenched his jaw, trying hard to resist punching this jerk of a man in the face, when Victoria suddenly got between them right as Lancer was about to.

“Stop it both of you,” She demanded. “We don’t even know if Annie can reverse this, or if we even have a business to return to.” She looked Maxwell in the eye. “So I suggest you calm down before these fine people decide they’ve had enough and toss us back out on our asses. Remember, they did us a favor by bringing us along in the first place, so let’s try not to screw that up, all right?”

Then she gave Scott an apologetic look. “I’m terribly sorry about all this, but please don’t change your mind about helping us just because a certain someone can’t control their temper. And hear me out when I say that from now on I promise neither of us will cause you or your friends anymore trouble, all right?”

There was a moment of silence between them before Scott finally agreed. “All right,” he said while ignoring the stink eye Maxwell was giving him. “But that man had better stay out of my way or else,” He warned.

“I understand.” She nodded. “And I’m glad we could come to some kind of agreement, but in the meantime I need to try and search for Enrique again. He’s lost out there somewhere just as Maxwell and I were, and I know my heart won’t rest until I find him, or I know he’s at least safe.” She then turned around and began making her way towards the trees.

“Wait a minute,” Scott called after her, sounding rather frustrated after finding out about this little revelation of hers. “You never said anything about a third person before? Lady, we are running out of room for you all as it is.”

Then the next thing he saw could only be proof that a woman scorned was indeed something worse to fear than the Invid, when she looked back at him with a burning fury.

“Are you telling me that I should just give up on him, even if he may still be out there?” She whirled around, mad as a hornet with her hands planted firmly on her hips. “Is that it, huh Long-Johns?”

Now as the rest of his team all had their eyes on him, he couldn’t help but feel like nobody else was on his side in this and he was indeed a one man army.

“L-look, that’s not what I’m saying at all,” he quickly clarified in order to avoid further confrontation from this huffy woman as well as from his own teammates. “I’m just saying that we’re running out of room and resources, which means we might not have enough left for one more person.”

Then the next thing he knew, she started breaking down and crying which only seemed to make the situation worse.

“Well I don’t care about your resources,” Victoria replied bitterly wiping away her tears with her hands. “I’m rather used to starving myself as it is, but I do care that a sweet, innocent young man, and dear friend to me, may be lost out there. So I’m going to keep looking for him, regardless of what you say. Because I know in my heart that if I were the one lost out there he wouldn’t give up either.”

Scott suddenly sighed with defeat. This young man, whoever he was, obviously meant a lot to her, so much so she was even willing to give her life to find him. There was no talking her out of it either she had made up her mind and so the only thing he could do now was let her go.

“Look, I’m not going to stop you, but if you and your partner still need us to help you out of here, then I’d suggest ending your search by morning, cause that’s when we’re loading everything up and leaving, all right?”

But the look she gave in return was all that was needed to show her acknowledgement before she turned around and disappeared into the woods. And Scott couldn’t help but sigh with relief once that tension was gone.

“She sure is a fiery one,” Lancer commented, followed by a soft whistle. “She doesn’t seem too fond of you either, Scott. Or should I say Mr. Long-Johns?”

Lancer and the others had to laugh at that one, even Marlene despite the fact she didn’t quite understand the joke, but the look on Scott’s face was funny enough.

“C’mon you guys that’s enough,” Scott groaned and shook his head, while worrying he’d never hear the end of this one.

But Rand on the other hand, seemed very worried for the woman’s safety. “Uh, should she be wandering off by herself like that?” He asked the others. “She could get lost too?”

“I’m sure she’ll be just fine,” Scott replied curtly, refusing to discuss the issue any further. “Anyway I think we’ve done enough talking for one night so I think it’s time for the rest of you all to settle down and get some sleep. Remember we’ve still got a long journey ahead of us, so I volunteer to take the first watch. Rand, you can take the second. I don’t think we’re going to need a third person since it’s already pretty late, but we’ll see.”

Then as Rand and the others began rolling out their sleeping bags around the campfire, Annie suddenly took a moment to remove the Seba from around her neck.

She looked down at it as she held it in her small hands, and then without giving it another thought, she tossed it right into the fire. The flames hungrily engulfed it as they did before, but once again nothing appeared to be happening. She continued watching a while longer before giving up and crawling into her sleeping bag. But then as she closed her eyes, she could have sworn she heard Ammon’s voice again reminding her of the consequences. _“What is done cannot be undone.”_

“Ammon?” She replied tiredly as she opened her eyes, expecting to see that pale gray face looking down at her but he wasn’t there.

Though little did she know that Maxwell had seen her toss the Seba into the fire, and now wondered if his nightmare would soon be over. Only he was much too tired to worry about it any longer, and unfortunately there weren’t enough beds for him or Victoria, and so Lunk had offered to let them sleep in his jeep instead.

Maxwell accepted, despite the fact he was still angry with Scott, but he was far too exhausted to care anymore, and climbed into the backseat where he curled himself up into a fetal position and dozed off.

But not everyone was able to fall asleep, as Rand was still sitting up watching the woods waiting for Victoria’s return, when he soon noticed that Lancer was still awake too watching him from his sleeping bag.

“Are you still worried about her?” Lancer asked tiredly.

“Of course I am,” Rand replied. “She’s off by herself in the woods somewhere. It’s easy to get lost. I’m beginning to think I should probably go check on her and see if she’s okay.”

Lancer narrowed his eyes with suspicion. “Is that it or are you just trying to get the poor woman alone with you?”

“Oh come on now!” Rand huffed. “What do you take me for, some kind of creep?”

“Well you’ve only been leering at her the whole time she’s been here,” Lancer replied crossly. “So maybe you should allow the woman to have some space for once?”

“Is that it, or is maybe Yellow Dancer a bit jealous?”

“Only in your dreams,” Lancer scoffed as he turned his back to him. “Goodnight.”

“Yeah, goodnight,” Rand muttered, while watching the trees a little bit longer before finally giving up and then climbing into bed himself.


	4. Friends and Enemies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After stealing Lunk's jeep, Maxwell finds himself in far more trouble than he'd ever dreamed of.  
> Meanwhile, Justin and Brian have their own first close call with the Invid. How they plan to handle the situation is another matter, as well as whether or not those actions will come back to bite them in the behind later on.  
> And last but not least, William and Stan try to find their way out of the desert, just for things to take a turn for the worst, especially when some dark secrets are revealed.

The next morning, everyone had been rudely awakened by the sounds of explosions coming from off in the distance. They also noticed that Lunk’s jeep was missing too, and with no sign of Maxwell or Victoria either. And since it had been Rand’s job to keep watch for the rest of the night, all fingers were pointing at him now.

“I’m sorry I fell asleep!” He was apologetic now, even though his apologies didn’t seem to deter all the angry looks his teammates were giving him in return. “I tried to stay awake, honest! It’s not like I had any idea those two would take off in the middle of the night.”

“I should have known better than to trust them!” Scott proclaimed with anger as he jumped to his feet, and then hurried over to his alpha fighter to retrieve his cyclone from its storage compartment, all the while wondering if he should just let the Invid deal with them instead.

 _No we’ve got to get Lunk’s jeep back. It’s got a lot of our supplies._ He groaned. _Even if those two aren’t worth the trouble_.

“I probably shouldn’t have let those two even sleep in the jeep in the first place, I’m sorry,” Lunk apologized to the others while feeling like a complete idiot.

“It’s okay big guy, you didn’t know they couldn’t be trusted,” Annie patted him on the arm, when Marlene began cradling her head in her hands crying out in pain.

Annie immediately rushed over to her side along with Rook. “It’s okay, Marlene,” Rook said. “It’ll be over soon, just hang in there.”

But then right before Scott, Lancer, Lunk, and Rand took off to look for the stolen vehicle, that’s about the time Victoria came stumbling out of the woods looking as though she were about to collapse from total exhaustion.

“I couldn’t find him,” She groaned and fell to her knees with her hair and face all a mess. “I searched and I searched all through the night but he’s nowhere to be found.” She appeared dazed and confused by all the loud blasting coming from the distance, but even more so as Annie ran over and threw her arms around her, like a daughter reuniting with her mother.

“I was so worried that you had double-crossed us!” Annie exclaimed with relief as she hugged her tight.

“Why?” Victoria wondered. “Where is Maxwell? And what is all that god-forsaken racket?” She groaned covering her ringing ears.

“Your rat-faced partner stole Lunk’s vehicle,” Scott answered rather harshly, despite the fact he’d just been proven wrong about the woman. “But it sounds like he didn’t get very far either. The Invid are already after him.”

“Invid?” She repeated curiously, when she soon recalled hearing that name mentioned quite a few times before. They still hadn’t told her who or what the Invid even were exactly, but she had a feeling they were bad news.

“And now we have to go rescue Lunk’s jeep and unfortunately your partner too.” Lancer added with annoyance as he finished strapping on his armor.

Marlene cowered on the ground once more as Rook stayed by her side trying to comfort her.

Victoria listened to Marlene’s cries of pain and immediately felt sorry for the poor woman.

“Well, we don’t know how many are after him,” Rand mentioned then. “Hopefully it’s only a few. Did he activate some protoculture or did they just catch him out in the open?”

“Well why don’t we just find out then?” Scott replied as he pulled down the visor of his helmet and climbed onto his cyclone. “Come on, Lunk!” He patted the space on the seat behind him. “Let’s go get your jeep back.”

“Just a moment!” Lunk responded as he reached down and picked up a coil of rope off the ground that had been apparently tossed out, and then hopped up on behind Scott.

“Good thinking, Lunk!” Scott commended, eyeing the rope in his hand. “I think it’s time we taught our little thief a lesson!”

Then as Scott, Rand, and Lancer rode off, Victoria couldn’t help but feel utterly betrayed by Maxwell, although it wasn’t the first time he’d done something like this.

She couldn’t help but sigh loud with disgust, which only prompted the others to look right at her.

“I’m really sorry about all this,” She apologized to them. “I didn’t know he would do such a thing. And it seems I’ve done nothing but apologize since I got here. So I understand if it’s already gotten old.”

“Oh don’t worry, Victoria. Lunk will get his jeep back,” Annie reassured her. “And deal with your pal Maxwell too.”

Victoria shook her head. “He’s no pal of mine.”

But then as Victoria looked into the young teen’s bright eyes, she wondered just what it was this kid even saw in her. She wasn’t a hero that’s for sure, nor did she even have any children of her own. Yet there was something very special about this instant bond between her and Annie. It kind of even made her wish for a daughter of her own someday.

“You’re very sweet, dear,” Victoria smiled softly, and then turned her attention to the poor mute girl who was still cowering on the ground next to Rook.

“Oh my word, does she need another one of my migraine pills?”

“I don’t know what she needs honestly,” Rook answered back. “Her migraines seemed to have gotten worse since we blew up that Invid fortress back in the mountains. If the others don’t get back here soon I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

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“Hey look what I found!” Justin exclaimed with delight as he hurried over to an old worn looking truck sitting on the side of the road. “If I can start her up we won’t have to travel on foot anymore.” He looked at Brian who was too busy sulking over the empty carton of cigarettes in his hand.

“I knew I shouldn’t have smoked that last one so soon,” Brian sighed with disappointment.

“Yeah, well maybe we can find more later, after I get this baby running.” Justin popped open the hood of the truck and peered inside.

“Damn she’s rusted!” Justin quipped, slamming the hood back down. “Well so much for that!”

“I’m sure we’ll find another,” Brian said, as Justin turned and looked at him.

“Yeah?” Justin remarked. “Since when did you become Mr. Optimistic, huh?”

Brian gave a half shrug in response. “Since I realized that’s the only way we’re going to make it out of here? Not to mention I’d rather not sleep in the dirt again.”

“I’m just shocked we haven’t run into anyone else from home here,” Justin sighed. “I was at least hoping to run into Will and Stan.”

“Friends of yours?” Brian asked him.

“Yeah,” Justin answered. “And soldiers like me, the very kind of people you hate, remember?”

Brian shrugged. “I’d probably tolerate them the same way I’m tolerating you.”

Justin gave him a hopeless look. “You don’t have many friends do you?”

“Nope,” Brian answered. “And I kind of prefer it that way.”

“Whatever,” Justin waved a dismissive hand at him. “I really don’t get you but I’m honestly not too concerned since I’m too busy trying to figure out how we ended up here in the first place.”

“And how do you think we ended up here?” Brian asked him, leaning up against the side of the truck.

“Well, our first thought was that we all died and ended up in hell, right?” Justin theorized. “But then we realized this isn’t hell and neither are we dead, so what exactly was that bright light and why did it bring us here?”

Brian gave him a puzzled look. “I don’t know?”

“Well the only thing I can think of, is that the light was created by some sort of chain reaction in the universe. I mean, think about it? We’re all composed of matter, as is everything else so what happens when you end up with some sort of matter collusion?” Justin explained, beating his fist into the palm of his other hand in a form of demonstration. “That matter gets spread out and divided into tiny pieces.”

Brian stared blankly in response to all this hypothetical nonsense. “So you’re saying we were all broken into tiny pieces then transferred here?”

“Yes!” Justin shouted excitedly. “Remember that burning feeling once the light swallowed us all up? Well, that’s why it happened. All the energy and molecules that make up our solid form was fighting to stay in one piece.”

“Yeah but why here though?” Brian asked. “That’s the bit that doesn’t make any sense.”

“We’re here because this is the where that light originated from,” Justin said. “It makes the most sense, and I’m willing to bet there’s also some kind of alien force behind it.”

Brian scoffed. “Like your flying crabs?”

“Of course,” Justin nodded. “But I’m thinking more along the lines of who or what controls them? And from what I’ve seen, they travel in packs. So perhaps it’s almost like a hive-mind? And we just have to find out what controls the hive?”

“Well you just might get your chance,” Brian suddenly pointed out, as a single Invid shock trooper had picked up on their voices and was on its way to investigate.

“Quick, get under the truck,” Justin signaled to Brian as they both ducked down and carefully crawled underneath the rusted vehicle, right as the Invid shock trooper was coming in for a closer look.

Soon the thing had landed, giving Brian and Justin a much better look at their new nineteen foot tall enemy they’d be dealing with.

“This thing looks like a giant metallic tick,” Justin whispered to Brian as the shock trooper stomped its large feet on the ground, turning its massive body around while searching the area with its red optical scanner.

“That thing is huge,” Brian commented. “Do you think that’s the crab leader? Like the King crab or something?”

Justin stared at it, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. “I don’t know but I still think we might be able to blow him up.”

“What? How?” Brian whispered.

“Your lighter,” Justin answered quietly. “You’re smoker right? That means you’ve got a lighter, so give it here.”

Brian thought the entire idea was insane, but at the same time he didn’t feel like waiting for this alien creature to leave either, so without further hesitation he willingly handed over his chrome zippo lighter, and then waited for Justin’s next instructions.

“What next?” Brian asked, trying to keep the sound of his voice as low as possible.

Justin quietly began sliding himself out from under the back of the vehicle, then signaled with his hand for Brian to follow. All the while the Invid shock trooper appeared to be distracted, as it was facing the opposite direction, unable to see or hear their movement.

“This thing might be rusted but it still has a gas tank,” Justin mentioned quietly as he unscrewed the cap. “I’m gonna need some paper or fabric though.”

“Hold on,” Brian whispered, as he pulled out a small pocket knife then used it to cut off a piece from the end of his mint colored dress shirt while Justin kept watch. “Will this work?” Brian handed over the torn piece of fabric.

“I think so,” Justin answered as he took the fabric and began stuffing it inside the vehicle’s gas tank while the shock trooper stood there like a statue.

“But in order to blow this thing sky high we’re going to have to lure it over here first,” Justin explained, right as he flicked open the lighter and began igniting the fabric.

Meanwhile, the large purple and slate colored monster appeared to have been given the all clear from the Regis, and was just about ready to take off when it suddenly heard the sounds of banging and shouting, prompting it to turn around for a better look.

There, it could see Justin and Brian pounding on the surface of the vehicle while shouting obscenities at it, as if cursing its very existence and fueling its desire to destroy these two humans as it began stomping forward, unaware of the trap that’d been set for it.

“Now, when I say go, we take off running like hell, ya hear?” Justin said to Brian, right as the shock trooper was aiming its twin cannons at them.

Justin paused for a moment, knowing that he and Brian would have to act fast if they wanted to get out of there alive.

“Almost,” Justin said anxiously, gesturing with his hand, when all of a sudden the Invid shock trooper fired its cannons at the vehicle.

“Now!” Justin shouted as he and Brian took off running, right as the blasts from the Invid’s plasma cannons made direct contact with the vehicle, causing it to explode, taking the shock trooper along with it. Whatever was left of the metallic beast toppled over, along with green fluid oozing from out of the wreckage. Justin could hardly believe their luck.

“That actually worked!” He cheered, offering to give Brian a high-five, right as debris from both the shock trooper and the vehicle rained down from the sky.

“We’re just lucky we made it,” Brian sighed as he slid down the side of a crumbled wall, leaning his head back against it, while Justin headed over to investigate what was left of their alien buddy.

“At least we know these things bleed!” Justin called over to Brian, who was practically falling asleep now. “Their blood is green too. Can’t say I’m too surprised honestly.”

Then, Justin caught a whiff of the dead Invid pilot and pinched his nose shut with his fingers. “Man oh man that’s rancid!”

“Good thing I’m way over here,” Brian sighed with relief. “You do know we’re going to need a lot more cars to blow the rest of them up, right? And right now I’m too tired to be dealing with anymore of those things, should they show up.”

“Yeah I’m too tired too,” Justin nodded as he headed back over to where Brian was sitting. “But if these things do function as a hive, then it’s highly probable that any others in the surrounding area probably heard or even saw the explosion.”

Brian groaned. “Well isn’t that great? And I guess they’re going to see their dead comrade and come looking for us too huh? Sounds like we’ve got to find some place to hide and fast.”

Justin thought to himself for a while, until he recalled seeing some kind of old tunnel not too far back the other way. “I remember seeing some kind of old subway entrance back there.” He pointed to the east of them. “I think we could hide out in there until the coast is clear, what do you say?”

“Sounds good to me,” Brian agreed as he stood back up. “Maybe we could even get some decent sleep in there too. But first my lighter, please?” He then held out his hand.

“Yeah, uh, about that…, Justin nervously rubbed the back of his head while looking shifty eyed. Brian couldn’t believe it.

“You dropped it!?” He now exclaimed in outrage, kicking at the dirt. He was mad enough to take a swing at Justin at that moment.

“I’m sorry!” Justin shouted back, while hoping none of the other crab creatures in the area could hear them arguing. “It was just a single chrome zippo, I’m sure you can find another just like it somewhere.”

Only Brian curtly disagreed and shook his head. “That was my grandfather’s, you asshole! Do you have any idea how old that thing was? It’s been in my family for generations and now it’s gone!”

Justin truly felt like an ass now. “Hey man, I didn’t know, all right?”

“Whatever!” Brian quipped. “Let’s just get the hell out of here already before more of those things show up.”

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

In the meantime, Scott, Lunk, Rand, and Lancer were busy trying to track down the stolen vehicle, and hopefully deal with the threat of Invid and Maxwell too. Even though in Scott’s mind that man wasn’t a threat but a nuisance and he hated him the moment he first met him. But while Scott and his team fancied the idea of getting rid of him, he and Victoria would be traveling with them until they came across the next city or town. And there was no telling when that would be. It didn’t matter though. Scott wanted that man gone, and he relished the thought of beating him to a pulp once he found him.

“Any sign of our traitor yet?” Scott asked as they made their way through an open field, where they could see the silhouette of another forest up ahead.

As Rand rode ahead of them he suddenly spotted the vehicle.

“There it is! I see it!”He pointed in the direction of the jeep as it sat parked sideways in front of the tree line, and with no apparent driver either.

“Looks like the coward took off,” Lancer remarked as he came to a full stop on his cyclone.

Lunk quickly hopped off the back of Scott’s cyc, and hurried over to his jeep to inspect it for any new signs of damage. “At least he didn’t crash it,” Lunk breathed a sigh of relief. “Still, I wonder how he was able to steal it without waking any of us up?”

Rand felt like he was being put on the spot again.

Then all of sudden, they heard a loud ear piercing scream coming from deep within the woods ahead of them, followed by another loud blast.

“Sounds like the Invid found him,” Scott smirked with amusement beneath his visor. “And as much as I’d like to leave him behind I don’t want that man’s blood on my hands, so I’m afraid we’re going to have to save him.”

“Right behind you,” Lancer nodded in agreement, following Scott’s lead.

Rand couldn’t help but groan over the idea of saving a double-crossing jerk like Maxwell, but he knew Scott was right. None of them wanted that man’s blood on their hands, and so off they went to try and save the bastard before the Invid would finish him.

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“Leave me alone, you bloody wankers!” Maxwell cursed at the Invid shock troopers as they advanced on him while he continued running through the dense forest. All around him chunks of splintered wood went flying in all directions as their cannons blasted through tree after tree them trying to hit their target. Why they were after him specifically he didn’t know. But he’d only gotten so far in that vehicle before they had spotted him and attacked, forcing him to pull over and get out, and then take off running into the woods in hopes of losing them. Too bad for Maxwell his plan didn’t work, cause they were still hell bent on killing him for whatever reason.

“What do these things even want from me?” Maxwell panted as he stopped and dove behind a large tree. Now seated up against the tree trunk, he quietly listened as the two shock troopers landed and began stomping around behind him. Beads of sweat formed on his brow and he pulled out his revolver, pulling back the hammer and readying himself to fire at them. Then much to his surprise the stomping ceased and there was nothing but dead silence. He sat there and listened a while longer but still heard nothing. _Why has it gotten so quiet, did they leave or what?_ He wondered now.

He thought about peering out from behind the tree to have a look for himself, when he started to wonder if this might be some kind of a trap in order lure him out of hiding. Then as if to confirm his suspicion, he now heard the whirring sound of one of their cannons. With his finger curled around the trigger, Maxwell quickly rose up to his feet, preparing to fire back, until one of those futuristic looking soldiers in their strange armored suit suddenly dropped down in front of him.

“You’re in a lot of trouble, pal!” Scott growled fiercely at Maxwell as he shielded him from the oncoming flying disc blasts. He also wasn’t the least bit thrilled to discover the madman was armed, but knew now wasn’t the time to deal with it. He and his teammates needed to eliminate the Invid threat first, and then they’d deal with their traitor.

“Then why are you saving me?” Maxwell hurled back, right as another blast nearly knocked Scott to the ground.

“Because we have to!” Scott answered curtly, before activating the thrusters on his power-armored suit and leaping out of the way before one of the Invid shock troopers fired again. “If only I had the Alpha,” He huffed, landing back down.

“You okay, Spaceman?” Rand asked as he suddenly jumped down beside him along with Lancer.

“I will be when this is over,” Scott grunted, and then loosed a series of scorpion missiles back at the Invid targets. “Rand, go ahead and get this jerk back to Lunk. Lancer and I will finish this. Be careful though he’s armed.”

“You sure you don’t need my help?” Rand asked.

“We can handle these two,” Scott answered.

“All right then,” Rand noted, and hurried over to try scoop up Maxwell, who didn’t seem to be cooperating in the least, especially once he aimed his revolver at his would-be rescuer.

“Hey, come on now don’t be stupid!” Rand argued. “Lower your weapon so I can get you out of here.”

In the background, Maxwell could see that Scott and Lancer had already taken out one of the Invid shock troopers, but the frightened snob wasn’t about to take orders from a grunt like Rand.

“No!” Maxwell snarled, trying to keep his hand steady now as it trembled. He was itching to shoot anybody at this point.

Rand clenched his jaw. “You really want to threaten a guy with a suit that could blow your head clean off? Come on now, you can’t really be that stupid. But I’m gonna warn you one last time. Drop your weapon or I’m gonna take it by force!”

Seeing there was no other way out of this predicament, Maxwell sighed and set the revolver down on the ground at his feet.

Then without further ado, Rand picked up the squirming stick legged man and leapt off, making his way back to Lunk and the jeep.

After the last shock trooper had been put down, Scott and Lancer were ready to head back themselves, until Scott happened to check behind them and noticed Maxwell’s revolver lying on the ground. He’d almost forgotten about it, and his first thought was to just leave it behind until he realized the man probably wanted it back, and what better way to get him to cooperate than holding his most valued possession right over his head. But of course Scott had no intention of ever giving it back, at least not until Maxwell was dropped off someplace else and he and his team were far away. Then Scott would be generous enough to toss the thing out from the cockpit of his alpha while in midair, leaving Maxwell on a wild hunt to try and track it down.

 _That would sure keep him busy for a while_ , Scott mused as he walked over to retrieve it.

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“How many days has it been now?” A dazed William asked Stan as they sat huddled around a dying fire made from a large tumble weed, although Stan seemed to keep a bit of distance between himself and the fire. William had to wonder why he wasn’t the least bit cold.

“Two I think,” Stan answered. “I’m honestly not sure.”

William sighed sadly as he looked around them, realizing they were still lost in the desert somewhere. “Are we ever going to get out of here?”

Stan easily recognized that tone of voice coming from his friend. William was feeling like giving up. “I have no answer to that,” Stan replied with uncertainty.

“I just regret so much,” William hung his head in shame. “I regret not telling Victoria the truth when I had the chance, now it looks like I’ll never get that chance again.” His eyes began to water but he quickly wiped the tears away.

Stan truly felt sorry for him, only he couldn’t begin to understand how William even felt.

“We need to find water, Stan. And food or we’re not going to make it,” William frowned. “And I don’t know about you but I’m not ready to die. Not out here.” He shook his head.

Stan began to wonder what to do next.

“I wish we had some kind of map to show us where we need to go,” William said. “There’s got to be a way out of here.”

Stan suddenly rose up the moment he caught wind of something approaching in the distance.

“What is it?” William asked tiredly.

Stan didn’t answer, but his eyes soon locked onto some strange large object headed in their direction at full speed. He quickly braced himself.

“Stan?” William asked again, as the sound of the fear crept into his voice. “What is it? What do you see?”

But before Stan could answer, William stood up and spotted the creature as well.

“What the hell is that thing?”

Then without saying another word, Stan grabbed William and slung him over his shoulder, and then began walking as fast as he could.

William couldn’t begin to comprehend what had just happened, or why his best friend was carrying him like a gunnysack. “Stan, please put me down,” he demanded, sounding utterly confused, until the mysterious flying creature began firing in their direction.

“Oh hell! That thing is trying to kill us!” William cried out, as the first blast struck the ground behind them, causing Stan to drop William. They both rolled down the sandy hillside, tearing up their uniforms in the process. William landed face first on the ground as Stan rolled over beside him, lying flat on his backside.

The creature grew larger as it neared closer, raising its pincers while focusing all its attention on Stan’s now lifeless body.

William spat out a mouth full of sand as he tried to lift himself up, and turned his head in order to check on his comrade, when he just about had a heart attack.

“Stan?” William gasped in utter shock as he was staring right at a metallic body in Stan’s place. Everything about the entity looked liked Stan, from the shape of the face to the style of the hair, only it wasn’t human at all but some kind of machine. William had suddenly forgotten all about the alien thing that had come to kill them.

Stan’s glowing green eyes along with his human guise, flickered until it stabilized once again, returning to its solid imagery. The android sat up as the alien creature landed right in front of them, studying him with its single large red eye, as though he were some type of curious specimen.

“Stan, what does it want?” William panicked as he lifted himself up while trying to keep some distance between himself and the thing he used to consider a best friend.

Then Stan noticed the creature’s eye appeared to be fixated on something else; a small puddle of his glowing green blood serum as it lay on the ground beside him.

“My serum.” Stan narrowed his eyes. “It’s reacting to it, almost as if it knows what it is.”

William huffed in disbelief “So it’s an alien robot vampire? Is that what you’re telling me now?”

“It appears confused.” Stan noticed. “Maybe it’s mistaken it for something else? That’s why it attacked me.” He looked over at William. “It picked up on it somehow. Like a bloodhound.”

William shook his head in disbelief. “Well that’s just great. So why isn’t it leaving yet?”

“I don’t know.” Stan glowered at the Invid shock trooper then, as if to challenge it, when it suddenly took off, leaving behind a large cloud of sand in its wake.

William raised his arms in front of his face, shielding himself from the miniature sand storm as it swept over both of them.

Once the air was clear again, Stan stood himself back up and then offered his hand to William, but William refused.

“I’ll help myself up, thank you,” He said rather coldly.

Stan already knew things wouldn’t be the same between them anymore and it saddened him.

“I wasn’t given a choice,” Stan tried to explain his reasoning.

“Choice my ass!” William quipped, kicking at the sand.” You’re not human! You lied to us all, Stan. We trusted you!”

Stan could only frown in attempt to express sadness, but it only seemed to upset William even further.

“What are you?” He furrowed his brow as he got right in Stan’s face. “Answer me!”

Stan inclined his head, locking eyes with his former best friend. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m an android.”

“Who made you? And why are you disguised as a soldier?” William demanded to know then.

“Morane sent me,” Stan replied. “I was created to act as a spy in the AMF, gathering intel from you all.”

William suddenly felt like he was about to fall down, when Stan reached out and caught him before he toppled over.

William felt too sick and dizzy to push the android away from him.

“Lie down and rest a while,” Stan said to him. “Despite how you may feel about my little revelation I am still going to do all I can to help you get out of here. You’re not fit to survive in this kind of environment, but I can.”

William said nothing as he soon succumbed to his faint spell and the whole world around him went black.

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By the time Scott and the others arrived back at the campsite, it was already half past noon and they still needed to pack up and leave before too much longer, especially if they hoped to make it to the nearest town or city before dark.

Rook was still at Marlene’s side comforting her, but she immediately rose back up once she heard the others returning. Victoria was standing behind Annie, resting both her hands on the girl’s shoulders, until the teenager spotted the others as they arrived, and then took off sprinting towards them.

Lunk parked the jeep and got out, but there seated in the passenger side all gagged bound was none other than Maxwell. He couldn’t speak but the angry look on his face said enough. Victoria could only shake her head at him as she went to approach the vehicle, just to be stopped by Scott carrying something in his hand.

“He had this on him,” Scott furrowed his brow at her as he held up Maxwell’s revolver in his hand for her to see. “Did you know about this?”

Her eyes went wide as could be from shock and her hands began to tremble. “Yes,” she answered timidly.

“And you couldn’t have warned us!?” Scott growled as he clenched his other hand into a tight fist.

Victoria spoke quiet as a mouse now. “I-I did but I also didn’t think he would use it. He didn’t, did he?”

“He aimed it at me,” Rand answered. “But I didn’t give him a chance to shoot.”

“Oh dear,” Victoria sighed, covering her face with her left hand, when Scott’s icy voice now caught her attention and she lowered it again.

“Hand over your bag!” He demanded with harshness, attempting to take it right from her.

“What? You gonna give yourself a makeover or something?” She remarked in a snide manner as she handed him her purse and he began digging through it.

Most of what he found inside was just a bunch of cosmetics of every kind, and then some. His fear was almost cast aside until his hand reached the bottom of her bag and he felt something metal and solid. “Just as I thought,” he remarked, pulling out a small pistol, a 7 mil Beretta, and showed it to the others.

Annie’s face went white as a ghost as she gasped in disbelief.

Victoria could feel a knot in the pit of her stomach.

“You mind telling me just what sort of business the two of you run that requires firearms?” Scott demanded to know, as the other members of his team looked on with concern.

“Fraudulent card games,” she answered, looking him fiercely in the eye. “And that pistol of mine is for protection. Ever been attacked by a desperate thug in a dark alley? Well I have, and the man had a knife too. So it was good thing I had that gun then, because it’s what saved my life, all right? So I suggest you give it back here at once!”

Scott narrowed his eyes at her as the two of them stared back at one another in silence.

“Scott, would ya calm down? The lady is innocent,” Rand suddenly intervened, coming to her rescue like a knight in shining Robotech armor. “She just told you she carries it for protection, what more do you want from her?”

“Then what about him?” Scott pointed at Maxwell. “What’s his excuse?”

Maxwell sneered in response.

“He uses it to scare others,” Victoria explained. “He’s one of the most hated men in all the city, so the least he can do is try to act tough. He wasn’t going to fire at your friend either. It was all for show.”

Maxwell breathed a deep sigh of relief.

“Well that bit of news doesn’t surprise me,” Rand remarked with sarcasm.

“Me either,” Scott added. “I can’t stand the man myself.”

“Can I at least have my purse back now? Or do you want to dig through it some more?” Victoria quipped, crossing her arms. You won’t find any hair gel in there, I can tell you that much.”

“Fine,” Scott replied handing back her bag.

“Thank you,” She smirked at him. “My gun too, please?”

“Don’t push your luck,” he warned her. “I want to be sure you’re telling us the truth, so for the time being we’re going to keep your guns. Any questions?”

“You get off on this don’t you?” She scowled, as he then turned away from her and walked over to Lunk and handed him their weapons.

“Find a safe place for these.”

“You got it,” Lunk nodded.

Victoria felt like screaming into a pillow in order to vent her frustration, only there wasn’t any pillow so instead she screamed into her hands.

Seeing that she was so upset, Rand figured now would be a good chance to come and give her the support that she needed, and possibly win over her affection somehow.

“Your leader is a despicable man!” She said through clenched teeth as Rand stood by her side.

“Yeah, the guy can be pretty hard headed at times,” Rand agreed, while wondering if he should keep his hands to himself or at least touch her on the shoulder. But from what he could tell of her body language she was closed off to the world, so he didn’t dare.

“Oh, I just want to get back home already,” she crossed her arms and pouted. “Ending up here in this nightmare was never part of the plan. So why did it happen?” She turned and looked at him. “Why did that cursed thing have to work?”

Annie couldn’t help but overhear their conversation, which only caused her to frown and pull out the Seba again.

“I don’t know, Goldilocks,” Rand answered. “Maybe it was just bad luck?”

“All right everyone it’s time to go!” Scott announced then.

“Well you heard the man,” Rand said, giving Victoria a little playful nudge. “You ready for more adventure out here?”

She laughed dryly in response. “I’m ready to kick the bucket,” She remarked, and then started walking off in the opposite direction of their mecha and vehicles.

“Hey, Lunk’s jeep is that way!” Rand called desperately after her, but she appeared to be ignoring him.

“Nice going, Scott,” Rand muttered angrily under his breath.

Annie looked just as confused as he did. “Hey where’s she going? That’s the wrong way!”

“Who knows?” He shrugged. “But we’d better let Scott and the others know so they can stop her before she wanders too far and gets herself killed.”

In order to free up the front seat for his two female passengers, Lunk carefully picked up and moved Maxwell into the bed of the jeep as though he were a piece of cargo. Maxwell scowled at the big man the entire time.

“Easy does it,” Lunk said as he sat him down gently. “See? I’m not such a bad guy am I? Even though you’ve acted like a total jerk to me and my friends.”

Maxwell attempted to insult the man only it came out in muffled gibberish.

“I’ll just take that as a show of appreciation,” Lunk mused.

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“Scott, we’ve got a problem,” Rand mentioned, running over to their leader just as he was about to board his Alpha fighter.

“What is it now?” Scott groaned.

“It’s Victoria, you angered the poor woman and now she’s run off, wandering into god knows what. We’ve got to stop her, Scott. We said we’d help her, remember? So are you really just going to let that poor woman walk right into death’s trap out there?”

Scott let out a harsh breath. “No of course not. Which direction did she head off in?”

“That way,” Rand pointed north of them, which appeared to lead into a wide open field.

“All right, let’s go after her then,” Scott said.

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Meanwhile, Victoria had gotten pretty far considering it was only a few minutes ago that she walked off and left the others behind. She felt sad that she was abandoning Annie but she couldn’t help it. That leader of theirs was becoming unbearable to deal with and she’d rather take her chances on her own than continue traveling with him.

“I hope I never see that smug face of his again!” She quipped, making her way through the open grassy landscape without even bothering to stop and catch her breath. “Who does he think he is anyway? Taking away a woman’s only means of protection? And why? Because he’s afraid I’m going to shoot him or any of his team members? Of course I wouldn’t, although now that I think about it,” she smirked as she imagined herself firing a round from her pistol right into his butt, making her giggle fiendishly. “That would certainly teach him not to screw with me.”

Then all of a sudden, she heard a loud humming noise and turned to see if it might be one of them coming after her on one of those mechanized bikes. Only she didn’t see anything yet, but then as soon as she looked up, there flying overhead was a lone Invid scout. She gasped cupping a hand over her mouth as she watched it pass over her.

 _So that’s what almost killed Maxwell today, huh?_ _What a strange creature. Although seeing that thing kind of makes me hungry for seafood._ She heard her tummy rumble a bit then _. Oh yes I am definitely hungry now._

The scout didn’t appear to see her despite the fact she stuck out like a sore thumb in her glittery dress out in the open, but instead continued on its way in another direction. It appeared to be scanning for something and fortunately for Victoria, whatever it was looking for it didn’t find it anywhere near her, and so she turned to leave once again, until out of the corner of her eye she spotted Rand and Scott sprinting towards her.

“If only I had my pistol,” She groaned, shaking her head, when the two men soon caught up with her and began demanding to know where she was going.

“I said we were leaving, so what are you doing coming all the way out here?” Scott questioned her. “You got some kind of death-wish?”

In turn she scoffed at him. “And what is it to you? I’ve merely decided that I’m going to find my own way out of this place." She then turned her back to both of them. “I don’t need any rescuing, now move along.”

Rand frowned. “But it’s not safe out here to be wandering by yourself. How are you going to protect yourself from the Invid?”

“I don’t think your leader cares too much about that,” She remarked coldly, refusing to look at either of them. “So you can both leave. I’ll take care of myself.”

“Enough of this!” Scott shook his head in frustration. “We need to leave and you’re coming with us, because you’re not safe out here. And for the record, you’re wrong I do care about your safety or else Rand and I wouldn’t have come out here to find you!”

She huffed angrily in response.

“First, I think you better apologize to her, Scott,” Rand demanded. “Cause it’s your fault she ran off in the first place.”

“All right fine,” Scott sighed. “Look, I’m sorry if I was rude to you before, and I’m sorry I took your gun away. I do care about your safety, but I also care about the safety of my friends. And when I found out both you and Maxwell had those guns I immediately worried for their well being, because I wasn’t sure if we could trust you anymore. I’m sure you can at least understand that?”

“I just don’t like being treated like I’m some type of dangerous criminal,” she responded calmly much to their surprise.

“Well I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel that way,” Scott replied. “But do you at least accept my apology so we can leave?”

 _What is it with this guy and that damned Reflex Point place?_ She thought then. _And why is he in such a damn hurry to get there?_

“Oh I suppose,” she answered tiredly a second later. “After all, you did come all the way out here to say it. So yes I accept.” She then turned around and stood face to face with him. “You can keep my gun for now, but I’m going to need it back sometime in the future, is that a deal?”

“Yes I can accept that,” Scott gave a nod in response.

“Then let’s shake on it,” she held out her hand.

“All right, it’s a deal,” he shook it cordially.

Rand sighed with relief. He was glad the two of them were able to come to some kind of agreement and put all this conflict behind them.

“So does this mean the two of you will finally get along from now on?” Rand questioned them, hoping neither of them had any romantic interest in the other.

“I think so,” Scott replied.

“We’ll see,” Victoria smirked, before the three of them started walking back to their former campsite so they could finally leave with the others.


	5. Forgiveness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justin and Brian head into what's left of the earth city to scavenge for supplies as well as try and avoid the invid patrol party that's come looking for them.
> 
> Meanwhile, Victoria and Maxwell get another taste of what day to day life is like for the band of freedom fighters that have taken them in.
> 
> Trust is something that must be earned if they are to try and survive together, but forgiveness is key in order to earn that trust in the first place.

Morning soon arrived and Brian and Justin had made plans to head into the demolished city to see what sort of goods they could scrounge up for their own use. They needed food and water mostly, as well as anything else that would make their stay inside the tunnel a little more livable. It was the safest place to hide for now and they had no plans of abandoning it just yet. However, they were both still fairly tired being that neither of them had slept too comfortably on the cold hard ground. Although, Justin did end up sleeping a lot longer than Brian since he was the last to wake up. He’d also seemed to have forgotten where he was expecting to awaken in his own bed until reality came crashing down like a ton of bricks, as well as the stiff aching feeling he felt in his back.

He assumed Brian must have experienced the same aches and pains even though he never complained about it once. Justin on the other hand, couldn’t seem to shut up about it as he and Brian started for the exit, hoping to avoid any confrontation with those aliens if possible. Yet, confrontation seemed to be awaiting them once they stopped and stood in the tunnel’s entrance, gazing out.

There, they spied a patrol of Invid shock troopers and scouts outside a good distance away, appearing to be searching the area where the two young men had blown up one of their comrades. From their point of view it must have looked like a sign of resistance, because they now seemed hell bent on locating and destroying these new enemies. It didn’t matter that Justin and Brian were just a couple of unarmed civilians trying to survive, they had fired the first shot figuratively and literally, and now the Invid were out for revenge.

“Shit, they’re looking for us,” Brian mentioned quietly to Justin, while wishing he had a cigarette to calm his nerves. “They came looking just like we thought they would. But are they ever going to leave? We can’t just hide from them forever, we need supplies or else we’re just going to waste away here.”

Justin couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was as if whatever was in charge had sent a whole army of those things after them. But on the other hand, Brian was right. They couldn’t just hide out in the tunnel the entire time, not without food and water. They still needed to get into the city no matter what.

“They’re probably hoping to wait us out, see if we get desperate enough to come out of hiding,” Justin said while observing their behavior. “We killed one of theirs so something tells me they won’t stop till we’re dead and the score is even again.”

Brian felt a mix of fear and anger coursing through him now.

“Maybe we could find a way to blow the rest of them up?” Justin suggested in a not so serious manner, which only seemed to put Brian more on edge.

“Are you insane?” Brian argued, trying to keep his voice low as possible. “We already blew up _one_ of those things and now we’ve got the whole, excuse my French, fucking _Calvary_ on the hunt for us.”

“I was only kidding about that,” Justin huffed in defense. “But joke or not, we really should consider fighting back. There’s a whole city out there with probably enough scraps that we could build our own weapons to fight those things. That’s what I’d sure as hell like to do.”

Brian shook his head in disbelief. He couldn’t believe the nerve of this kid, nor his apparent wild imagination that would probably get them both killed.

“You’re crazy,” Brian remarked.

Justin’s bushy brows snapped together. “I’m a scientist _and_ a chemist. You’d be amazed at the kinds of things you can throw together with household supplies alone. I mean we’re stuck here for now, so least we could do is fight back, right?”

“Fight back?” Brian exclaimed in outrage, no longer able to control the volume of his voice. “Fight back for what? We don’t live here, this isn’t our home. What the hell would we even be fighting for?”

“Oh yeah? Well what about fighting to help the other survivors around here?” Justin hurled back angrily. “Just because we haven’t come across any doesn’t mean they’re not there, does it?”

Brian had nothing more to say. He was at a complete loss for words, which only seemed to irk Justin.

“Oh I see how it is,” Justin quipped, feeling annoyed by Brian’s silence. “You don’t want to risk _your_ life for others do you?”

Brian suddenly went stone faced.

“That’s what all this is _really_ about, isn’t it?” Justin continued on, pestering him. “I guess that’s what separates you from that brother of yours, huh? He was willing to become a soldier and give his life for others, but not you, nope. You’d rather sit on your ass and watch the world end. Hard to believe you two were ever related.”

“That tears it!” Brian growled with fury as he swung his fist in Justin’s direction.

“Tears what? You missed, jackass!” Justin taunted as he quickly ducked out of the way, only for Brian to take another swing at him again. With another miss, Brian stumbled forward, and that’s when Justin jumped on his back, knocking him down, where the two of them began to scuffle on the ground like a couple of wild dogs fighting over scraps.

“Oh looks like there’s a fight in you after all!” Justin huffed, as Brian tried to shove him off of himself, when Justin grabbed him by the jacket collar and started violently slamming his head repeatedly against the ground, causing a nosebleed.

Brian growled as he wrapped his hands around Justin’s scrawny neck and began choking him. “You wanted a fight, you got one!” Brian snarled through clenched teeth.

But soon enough the Invid shock troopers and scouts in the area picked up on the sounds of their yelling and fighting and began homing in on the location.

Once the two young men heard the sounds of the approaching Invid, they stopped mid-brawl and immediately jumped to their feet.

“Oh boy did we screw up big time,” Justin groaned, and then his eyes darted over to an area in the city.

“We can’t afford to have them locate our shelter. We need to head into the city now and hide there.”

Brian agreed as he wiped away the blood dripping from his nose with the sleeve of his jacket.

“Alright then let’s go,” Justin said as he took off running towards the city.

Brian was still a little dazed from having his head slammed on the ground, but soon he regained his footing and began to follow after Justin, praying they might come across a tobacco shop along the way.

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They used the cover of the rubble piles to keep out of sight while sneaking their way into the city, ducking behind each one along the way and watching their enemies close. The Invid seemed clueless of their whereabouts, but as soon as Brian and Justin had made it into the city, the Invid search party was still in hot pursuit. The two young survivors were crouched down behind a large chunk of rubble as the Invid patrol zipped right past them, looking to be heading deeper into the city.

Brian and Justin exchanged worried looks, and then quickly made a dash for a shopping center that was located across the old torn up gravel road. There, Justin found the door of an old record store left ajar and he and Brian carefully crept in and hid behind the old register counter, watching for the Invid as they continued patrolling the streets, scanning for any sign of the human threat.

“We should have known they’d be waiting for us here too,” Justin sighed hopelessly, watching one of the shock troopers as they flew right past the shop window. Justin remembered the good look he got at the metal claws of the one from yesterday. That thing looked like it could rip both him and Brian to pieces with little trouble. _That thing is a flying can-opener_ , he thought, swallowing the lump in his throat. He couldn’t believe how terrified he actually felt being hunted like this.

Two more flew by, followed by the smaller maroon colored scouts, and then the coast was clear again. Breathing a sigh of relief, Justin and Brian stood back up and began looking around the shop for anything they might be able to use. From what they saw there wasn’t much, and definitely nothing edible or drinkable. Still it was nice to get out and finally be able to explore what was around them, therefore Justin decided he would make the most of that allotted time.

“Check out all these records,” Justin marveled as he began looking through the collection of music on display. “Who is Lynn Minmei?” He now looked to Brian while holding up a record that said _The Best of Lynn Minmei collection._

“I don’t know?” Brian replied with little to no interest.

“Whoever she is she’s a cute one,” Justin fawned over the portrait of the young Chinese girl on the album cover. “You think her music is any good?” He then turned it over to read the list of songs on the back. “Stage Fright?” He remarked with an amused chuckle, and then continued looking down the list, reading them aloud so Brian could hear.

“My boyfriend is a pilot, to be in love, we will win, here by my side, it’s you I miss.”

“I bet she’s nothing like the Jazzettes back home,” Brian remarked, now looking curiously up at a poster of Yellow Dancer on the wall.

“Maybe I’ll just take it back with us for safe keeping,” Justin said as he walked off with the record in his hands.

“Maybe it could be the secret weapon we’ve been looking for?” Brian scoffed, when from across the torn up street he spotted a cigar shop. “You take all the records you like I know where I’m going.”

Justin picked up a record featuring Yellow Dancer just then and pulled a face. “Ugh, this dame looks like man doesn’t she?” He wrinkled his nose with disgust, about to show it to Brian, when he spotted the young man leaving the store and heading across to the other side. “Hey where are you going now?” Justin called after him.

Only, Brian didn’t waste any time as he threw open the door of the cigarette shop and walked in. From what he could see it was wall to wall cigarettes and cigars of all types, despite the fact the place looked to have been ransacked a few times.

Nevertheless, Brian was beginning to feel like he’d stepped into heaven, until he suddenly heard Justin coming up beside him, still carrying the Minmei record in his hands like a boy with a treat from a candy store.

“Holy smokes” Justin remarked in awe as he watched Brian rummaging through all the different varieties of cigarettes and lighters there were.

“Menthols?” Brian pulled a disgusted face as he chucked that carton over his shoulder, then continued searching around for the right stuff.

Brian soon found the kind he was after as well as a new lighter and stuffed them both inside his jacket pocket. Justin meanwhile, was busy eying all the different types of lighters and canisters of lighter fluid, when he suddenly had a wild idea.

“What if we build a bomb?” Justin suggested, ignoring the crazy look Brian was giving him now.

“A bomb?” Brian scoffed. “You’re nuttier than a fruitcake.”

Justin took offense but was quick to let it go.

“Just look at all this lighter fluid here,” he pointed out. “There’s enough here for a nice big one too. I would just need to find some household cleaning supplies, but I believe it can be done.”

Brian was completely slack-jawed as he stared back at him. “Do you have any idea how many of those things are out there? Too many, and a single bomb wouldn’t be enough to take them all out, and there’s no guarantee we would have enough to build one of that size, if it’s even possible. Is it?”

Justin nodded. “Yeah it actually is. Like I told you before, I’m a chemist. I’ve been working at Atlantech for several months, helping them develop a new line of fighter jets and new weapons. Building bombs also happens to be one of my specialties,” He smirked deviously, causing Brian further unease.

 _Great, I’m trapped here with a bomb making psychopath_ , Brian sighed, shaking his head.

“I just need the right combination of chemicals for it to work,” Justin continued, unfazed by the blank stare Brian was giving him. “I noticed a convenience store down the street a ways, once the coast is clear of those things again I plan on heading over there to check it out and see what I can find.”

Brian began to wonder if maybe it wasn’t such a crazy idea now. “Well you’re a chemist, so I guess I’ll take you at your word, but our priority should be food first shouldn’t it?”

Justin agreed. “Yes of course, and there’s a chance that shop has some in it too. The way I see it I’ll be killing two birds with one stone, getting the chemicals I need and looking for rations. And here’s another suggestion.”

Brian was all ears now.

“We could even set up one of these shops as a trap too,” Justin explained. “Plant the bomb inside and bait them somehow.”

“What about more than one shop?” Brian suggested, despite the ridiculousness of it all. He began to wonder if he might be going insane too. “That way we ensure we get them all.”

Justin’s face brightened. “I like the way you think. That’s an excellent idea!”

“But not this shop of course,” Brian corrected defensively, staring him down. “The others are fair game. In fact, the record store would be perfect. You can lure those assholes with music too, think about it.”

Justin nodded in approval. “Not a bad idea. We can even call it, operation blow them all to hell too.”

Brian lit a cigarette and took a long, much needed drag. “More like operation blow them back to hell. Those things look damn near demonic if you ask me.”

“Amen to that,” Justin agreed. “Now we just have to plan it all out. I’m going to see if I can find the materials I need. You want to come with or do you want to stay and smoke your cigs?”

“Stay and smoke,” Brian answered rather quickly.

“All right then, check back with you later,” Justin said before taking off, but not before stopping to place the Minmei record in a safe place.

“You and your Minmei,” Brian muttered, shaking his head as he took another drag.

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Most of the surrounding shops were already in utter ruin as far as Justin could see, as he carefully made his way over to the thrift shop. Surveying the damage, he realized there wasn’t much more a bomb could do other than topple the rest of the infrastructure. How some of these buildings were still standing seemed all but a mystery for the moment, when he soon came up to the store’s entrance and quietly pulled open the door. Usually these kinds of shops had a bell alarm at the top of the door that jingled when you entered, but miraculously enough this one didn’t. Justin counted his blessings for that.

Sighing with relief, he first started heading towards the isle where the cleaning supplies were. From what he could tell the shop had been raided many times before as empty boxes of food were strewn about all over the floor. Thankfully the raiders had only come for the food and not the chemicals. Justin figured they believed such things to be useless in an apocalyptic world, and he was right. Still, that didn’t give him much hope in finding any leftover foodstuffs for himself and Brian. They needed it too.

“Don’t lose hope yet,” Justin told himself quietly, sneaking his way over to the isle and grabbing a mop bucket off the shelf to begin stashing away all the chemicals he needed, one of which included household toilet bowl cleaner. However, Justin couldn’t help but grin stupidly over the idea of needing toilet cleaner for building a bomb. His mind swam with immature thoughts, remembering back when he first made such a discovery after reading up on the chemicals inside, and then went ahead and built the actual bomb in a toilet just to humor himself.

He had done this in one of the old abandoned shops in downtown Atlantis when he was fifteen years old. After setting it up and setting it off, he got the hell out of dodge and then watched the panic unfold from across the street. It seemed like everybody had shown up that day, the police, the firefighters, and even an ambulance in case anybody had gotten hurt. Thankfully nobody did, but while Justin found it amusing, it didn’t take long for a police officer to nab him and drag him back home to his father, who decided that he needed to be someplace where he couldn’t cause any more trouble, and that’s when he was enlisted in the AMF.

Thinking back on the memory now, Justin was actually glad with the way things had turned out. Enlisting in the military really allowed him the growth his father’s antics had stunted all those years. The man was an alcoholic and depressed widower that for the most part, had neglected his son unless Justin had done something to get in trouble, and then he was suddenly a concerned father again but only because the police didn’t give him much of a choice; either he discipline his son or face losing custody of him.

But of course those threats only caused his father to drink even more, while Justin was left alone in his room with a bunch of appliances he had taken apart out of sheer boredom. He at least learned how to put them back together too otherwise he probably would have gotten his butt beaten. That was how Justin developed his love of science and mechanics, and then later on chemistry. And now here he was in this new world trying to utilize everything he’d ever learned just so he and Brian could survive and possibly fight back against these aliens.

 _We might die but it’s worth dying for at least_ , he thought, when he suddenly spotted an industrial sized bottle of bleach on the top shelf, and grabbed it.

“You’ll do just fine,” He noted as another thought crossed his mind. “I wonder if I might find a chemistry set around here too?”

Searching around for the toy isle of the store, he came across what was left of one and glimpsed a small chemistry set on the middle shelf next to a bunch of tubes of different colored dough.

“Fun with Chemistry,” Justin read the box’s title aloud, smiling nice and wide as he tore the top of the box open and began removing all the tools he needed from inside.

What he pulled out then was pretty much what he expected; miniature test tubes, beakers, and even a small Bunsen burner. “This will have to suffice.” His eyes then darted back over to the stacks of colored play dough where he picked up a tube of the blue colored one and stashed it inside his bucket along with everything else. “It looks like fun so why not?” He shrugged as he walked out of the isle, freezing once he spotted a brown duffle bag sitting on the floor ahead of him, and noticed something else inside too.

Then as he knelt down to have a look inside the bag, his eyes widened in astonishment over what he was seeing. “Cans of food!” He gasped with delight. “There’s enough in here to last us a whole week too, I don’t believe it. The universe must be on our side after all.” He picked up the bag, noting its heaviness as he slung it over his left shoulder. “Crisis solved, we’re eating good tonight!”

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Back the tobacco shop, Brian was already on his third cigarette, standing with his back facing the shop entrance. His mind was at a complete blank as he stubbed out the cigarette butt, and then went to light his fourth one, when all of a sudden he heard something large whizzing right past him. Startled, he dropped the cigarette and spun around. It was that same alien scouting party again still on the hunt for them both and still no sign of Justin yet. Brian wasn’t sure exactly how long it had been since Justin left, but he was sure it had been quite a while and now he was beginning to worry.

_What’s taking so damn long?_

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It had only been about a couple of hours since the band of freedom fighters had gotten back on the road again, well more like the sky, since Lunk was really the only one driving on land, while the others were flying over head in their veritechs; Rand in an olive drab alpha, Rook in the red and white colored one, and Lancer piloting the beta fighter. Scott as usual, had taken the lead in his blue and white alpha fighter. With their so-called fuel source beginning to run out, they could only move their Robotech planes so far each day, while hoping to avoid any run-ins with the Invid. So far all seemed clear for now, but the group knew it was only a matter of time before they were spotted and pursued again.

The scenery hadn’t changed much either since they left from what Victoria could see while she sat in the bed of the truck/jeep next to Maxwell. After all, the vehicle was in fact a truck but since Lunk had a previous attachment to his former APC that he’d lost along the way, he’d been referring to this new vehicle as a jeep out of habit. The others did the same out of respect for him it seemed. They were definitely a close-knit bunch despite their differences, but they all had a common goal; to defeat the Invid and end this war.

Adding two newcomers such a Victoria and Maxwell to the mix seemed to interfere a bit with those plans, however no matter what the main goal was to get to that destination known as Reflex Point. Finding a town or city to drop off the two vagabonds was more of a side quest than anything. Although, Victoria could tell they were ready to be rid of Maxwell at the very least. He was still gagged and tied up while he sat in the back beside her, taking up more space than he needed. But it was either this or trying to find some way to squeeze herself in between Marlene and Annie who were seated up front. She was slim enough that it probably could have worked, only she didn’t want to end up more uncomfortable than she already was, therefore she would tolerate Maxwell’s presence for now. He couldn’t speak a word at least, only mumble and growl.

 _Better than listening to him I suppose_ , she wondered as she pulled her compact mirror out of her purse just then, and flipped it open to check her makeup. Golden locks of wavy tangles whipped about her face in the wind as she examined her reflection, just to be startled by Annie as the girl suddenly peered over the front seat and asked, “What’ch ya doin?”

“Goodness you scared me just now!” Victoria gasped, only to chuckle softly a moment after. Annie was certainly full of surprises, and Victoria hadn’t been around long enough to have gotten used to her spontaneous outbursts like the others were.

“Sorry!” Annie apologized sheepishly.

“No worries, dear!” Victoria smiled up at her. “I was just checking my face, that’s all! Next time we stop and set up camp, I can do your makeup too if you want?”

Annie was just about to answer, when she suddenly turned back around and gasped, “Invid!”

Victoria immediately put her mirror away and looked up. There, right overhead appeared to be a whole patrol of four Invid shock troopers, who were already engaged in aerial battle with Scott and the others. It would have been a pretty display of fireworks and explosions going off in the clear blue sky if it weren’t for the fact that the Invid were trying to kill them. And neither were Lunk and the others safe, as one of the shock troopers apparently started coming after them, firing a round of those annihilation discs out of its twin canons, until Rand spotted and took off after it, intervening and taking it out before it could inflict any real damage on the APC or its passengers.

Still, the constant swerving and bouncing around in the jeep was anything but enjoyable for the four passengers. And at one point when Lunk hit a big bump in the road, Maxwell was almost thrown overboard until Victoria grabbed and held onto the rope which bound his wrists together, basically saving his life. But of course he didn’t utter so much as a thank you in her direction after the fact, only a callous scowl.

He probably wanted to die at this point, she figured. And in a way so did she, especially since she had failed to find Enrique so far, and for all she knew he’d probably been left behind somewhere back there where he’d either succumb to the harsh elements of this world, or get lucky enough to come across others to help him just as Annie and her friends were helping her and Maxwell. Victoria prayed it was the latter, even if she didn’t have much faith in the existence of a god anymore. Practically nobody did back in Atlantis City, and from the looks of things in this universe she figured it was probably the same for these people too. You had to work your own miracles now.

It was a depressing thought indeed, but then as she gazed up and watched as Scott and his teammates worked together to put down the last Invid shock trooper she realized these people were the real miracle workers of this world.

“Everybody all right?” Lunk suddenly asked as he pulled over, leaving the engine running.

“Yes,” Annie answered for herself and Marlene.

“How about you two back there?” Lunk peered over his shoulder at Victoria and Maxwell.

“A little dizzy but otherwise we’re fine,” Victoria answered, running a hand through her tangled hair, and then looked over at Maxwell who was doing what she could only describe as a sort of pee-pee dance with the way his knees were quivering while he whimpered like a pathetic dog.

“I think Maxwell has to potty again,” she said in a condescending tone of voice. She was amazed Maxwell hadn’t just peed himself earlier when those annihilation discs came flying at them nearly killing them all. And if it weren’t for Lunk and his crazy driving skills, they surely would have met their end. Not to mention Rand coming to their rescue as well. How these people survived each day like this was nothing short of a miracle. She had only experienced it for the first time and felt as if she had just stepped off of a roller coaster from hell. There was no way she could live like this every single day. It was a complete nightmare.

“So he has to go again, huh?” Lunk chuckled as he shut off the engine, and then radioed Scott and the others to let them know he would be stopping to assist another one of Maxwell’s bathroom breaks. It was an unfortunate endeavor that included untying the man and then holding him at gunpoint while he did his business. This was just to ensure he didn’t try anything stupid once his hands were free. But of course that didn’t dissuade Maxwell from begging not to be tied up again, promising the big man that he wouldn’t cause any more problems.

“Sorry, buddy, but it’s not up to me,” Lunk had replied apologetically, just to be met with a hateful glare.

“Well then screw you and screw _him_!” Maxwell huffed madly, while also relishing the fact he could speak freely without that rag in his mouth.

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“He should have gone before we left,” Annie griped, peering over the front seat again. Marlene was beside her, shivering. It seemed she was either cold or simply recovering from another one of her mysterious headaches. At times it was hard to tell the difference.

“Don’t worry you’ll be rid of us both soon enough,” Victoria sighed with frustration, wishing she was back home already with a glass of wine while gazing out on her balcony. She wondered if she could make it so if she imagined it hard enough.

Annie frowned.

“Don’t think I ever asked you where your parents are,” Victoria mentioned next looking up at her. “Were they killed by these Invid?”

Annie seemed to have no answer.

“I’m sorry,” Victoria was quick to apologize now. “I was an orphan at one point too, so I understand. But it seems you’ve found a new family with this group, right?” She forced a smile in attempt to lighten the mood and make Annie smile again. Without a doubt it was obvious that this girl had probably been through a lot, but if one thing was for certain, she never lost who she was through it all.

“We can be your family too,” Annie suggested as Lunk was making his way back with Maxwell in tow, who was gagged and tied up again. He had a look of absolute misery written on his face, but Victoria didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy for him.

Ignoring Annie’s suggestion, she kept her attention on Maxwell, watching as Lunk carefully picked up and set him back down in the truck bed. It was almost adorable with the way Lunk handled him with such care; a treatment Maxwell didn’t deserve at all, but Lunk was a very caring soul. He had a lot of patience, or so it seemed.

“Time to hit the road again,” Lunk announced as he got back into the driver’s seat and turned the ignition.

Annie didn’t appear too bothered by Victoria’s lack of an answer for now, as she was too busy worrying about whether or not the rest of their team had left them behind.

“I hope they didn’t leave without us!” She whined.

“Nah, I’m sure they’ve been waiting for us,” Lunk replied with reassurance before stepping on the gas and peeling out of there.

Victoria prayed they had seen the last of the Invid for one day at least.

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After enough time had passed, Justin now had everything he needed stuffed into two buckets as he began carrying them along with the duffle bag of foodstuffs, heading back towards the store’s entrance. He was sure Brian was probably beginning to worry something had happened to him, even though he figured the guy wouldn’t care either way. They were still practically strangers that had somehow ended up in this world and were now forced to try and work together to stay alive and avoid becoming BBQ at the hands of the flying crab invaders, as Justin had bluntly put it. But right as he was about to make a break for it and get back to the tobacco shop across the way, that’s when he happened to spot one of those creatures zipping right past the door.

 _Shit,_ he panicked, quickly dropping the buckets to the floor before diving behind an empty display shelf, watching the thing until disappeared from his line of sight. He was hesitant to leave now.

 _I’m beginning to wonder if they must have tracked us here somehow, cause they sure haven’t let up the search since we got here. Do they have super hearing or what?_ He wondered as he sat there crouched down behind the self on the dirty linoleum floor.

_We kept out of sight on our way here, mostly anyway._ _Did they still see us somehow?_ All the possibilities were beginning to drive him crazy as he went over each one in his head, trying his best to figure things out but coming up empty. It seemed easy to over-analyze each probability but it was even more daunting trying to do so in a world he knew absolutely nothing about. The only thing he could surmise was that these things, whatever they were, probably knew that he and Brian would come here looking for supplies, and now they were simply waiting for them.

 _They’re not stupid at all_ , Justin sighed once he decided to wait for nightfall to make it back to the shop. He knew there was a chance Brian wouldn’t still be there when he got back, but with the way things were for the time being it was better to wait than risk exposing themselves to this new enemy that was obviously bloodthirsty for revenge. Not to mention they could both sneak around in the dark with much ease and less worry, unless the damn things had night vision too, then they’d be screwed either way. Justin prayed they didn’t

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But the longer Brian was kept waiting, the more he began to wonder if Justin had probably abandoned him, using the whole bomb idea as a distraction so he could make a safe getaway. Brian hoped he was wrong but as time passed and the sun was beginning to set, that’s when the realty of that possibility had begun to set in.

“Whatever, go your own way,” Brian muttered as he lit another cigarette and took a good long drag. “I never needed your help in the first place. I can take care of myself.” He slid down against the back wall of the shop, cigarette held between the index and middle finger of his left hand as it rest atop his knee.

Outside, the darkness of the night began to cover the sky, and soon that darkness filled the shop. The glow of his cigarette was his only source of light for the time being, and still Justin hadn’t returned.

“Every man for himself,” Brian sighed bitterly, taking another drag before stubbing the butt out on the floor, now leaving him in total darkness as he leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.

All was calm and quiet until he was suddenly awakened by a whisper.

“Hey I’m back,” Justin announced himself quietly, while trying not to trip and fall over all the empty cartons of cigarettes which littered the floor of the dark shop. Some of them were probably Brian’s too, as there was no telling how many packs this guy could smoke in a day.

Brian couldn’t believe it. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for you to come back?” He quipped angrily.

“It was too long I know,” Justin said apologetically. “But with those things sweeping this area every five minutes or so, it was suicide. Therefore I had to stay put until I was sure the coast was absolutely clear.”

Brian flicked his lighter, using the flame as his new source of light. “And you’re positive those things didn’t see you in the dark?”

“Not really,” Justin answered. “But I haven’t seen them for at least an hour, so I think it’s safe to say they probably gave up.”

Brian sighed as he killed the flame, leaving them both shrouded in the darkness again. “You mean you hope they did.”

“Yeah, that,” Justin acknowledged as he slid the buckets of supplies out of his way so he could sit against the wall too. “I’m thinking we should take our supplies and head back to that tunnel. At least there we can keep a fire going, without those things seeing it or us.”

“But what about the bomb?” Brian asked then. “Are we just going to come back in the morning and try again?”

Justin couldn’t help but feel unsure now. “I don’t know. I’m starting to think that maybe I’m way in over my head here about this whole plan.”

Brian groaned and shook his head. “Whatever.” He then stood up, grabbed several packs of cigarettes to carry as he started heading out the door. The light from the moon was bright enough that they could both see where they were going now.

“Hey wait for me,” Justin quietly called after him, as he scrambled back to his feet, grabbed the buckets as well as his prized Minmei record, and followed behind.

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Later that evening, Annie was seated by herself on a log, pouting with her head down. She still had the mysterious amulet around her neck despite the fact she was beginning to wish she had never found it in the first place. _Why oh why did I have to find this stupid thing?_ She sulked with a deep sigh, until Rook noticed her all by her lonesome and decided to ask what was wrong.

“You missed dinner,” Rook said, taking a seat next to her. “That’s got to be a first for you, so what’s troubling you this time?”

Annie felt appreciative of Rook’s company, and even recalled a time where she was the one checking up on a brooding Rook who had also refused to touch her food. The tables had apparently turned.

“It’s this stupid necklace,” Annie groaned. “I wish I’d never found it. All it’s done is cause trouble, and now Victoria can’t even get back home. Oh Rook, it’s all my fault.” Annie turned and cried on her shoulder.

Rook gently patted her back. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know all this would happen, whatever it is.” Rook really couldn’t even rationalize it all in her mind as it was.

“But it is my fault.” Annie pulled away and sniffled as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “Ammon warned me and I didn’t listen. All because I tried to prove myself to Scott and Rand. Now Ammon probably hates me, that’s why he refuses to speak to me again.” Her bottom lip trembled.

Rook was now at a loss of what to say, but she listened intently.

Nearby, Maxwell was still bound and gagged, seated up against one of the rear tires of Lunk’s jeep as he happened to listen in on Rook and Annie’s conversation. He felt a snide remark coming on, when all that came out of his mouth was garbled muffling.

“I’m sure he understands,” Rook said to Annie. “Even though I’m still having a hard time believing any of this, so I’ll just take your word for now, all right?”

“It’s okay I don’t expect you to,” Annie replied. “Maybe if I had the other piece of this thing then I could fix this? I wish I knew where to look.”

“Who knows?” Rook gave a shrug. “Maybe you could or maybe you couldn’t?”

Victoria’s eyes widened as she happened to overhear their conversation as well as she sat nearby brushing the tangles out of her hair. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for Annie getting dragged into such a mess. But while Victoria was homesick she couldn’t bring herself to place the blame on Annie. Like Rook had stated, it wasn’t the poor girl’s fault since she didn’t know any of this would happen. Maxwell seemed to believe otherwise, but then again he blamed everyone for everything and never himself, even when he was at fault. But an apparent justice had been served that morning when he was attacked by those alien creatures after stealing Lunk’s vehicle. He got what was coming to him and should have been grateful that Scott hadn’t beaten the living daylights out of him for causing them so much trouble and putting him and everyone else behind on schedule.

The leader of this group had showed a lot of restraint with as angry as he was, which she saw for herself with the way he confiscated both their guns. But even though she had gotten over her own quarrels with him she couldn’t help but feel a little wary of his actions. Still, he had apologized and even agreed to return her gun at a later time, but when that was she hadn’t the slightest clue. Probably not until after they dropped both her and Maxwell off, or possibly whenever he decided to trust her. That was really all she wanted for now. And then she remembered Annie’s words from earlier, _“We can be your family too.”_

Looking back on that, Victoria felt bad for ignoring the poor girl but in truth she just didn’t know how to respond to such a suggestion at all. It was absurd for one, and secondly, she just didn’t belong here and never could, not with all she had done. The guilt alone would consume her to the point she wouldn’t be able to hide the truth about herself from these people any longer, especially Annie. Add to the fact that the truth in question would break poor Annie’s heart, and shatter any sort of positive image these people might have had of Victoria. It would end in disaster either way, and she just couldn’t go through with it. She’d already crashed and burned with her acting career, therefore she would not allow the same to happen with these new potential friends.

_God, I need a drink_ , she was thinking now as she finished brushing the last of the tangles out of her hair and then went to put her brush away, staring longingly down at her flask of vodka, when Scott suddenly announced with, “Time to turn in for the night, team. We’ve got another busy day ahead of us tomorrow, so get as much rest as you can.”

“Yeah, yeah. We know,” Rand quipped as he started putting the campfire out. “You taking first watch again?”

Scott nodded. “Yep.”

“Good, then I’ll take second,” Rand replied without thinking, until everyone was giving him that stern look again as though to remind him of his previous screw-up. “Never mind, someone else can do it!” He backpedaled. “I’d prefer to get a decent night of sleep anyway.”

Suddenly, Victoria had the crazy idea of volunteering to take watch herself as a way of trying to gain the group’s trust again somehow, as well as alleviate her own mounting guilt.

“I’ll do it,” She spoke up then, taking the others by complete surprise.

“What?” She asked, puzzled by all those ludicrous expressions on their faces. “I’m offering my services, it’s the least I can do for all the help you’ve all given me.” She neglected to mention Maxwell’s name and with good reason.

“I appreciate your offer but we really need someone else.” Scott seemed quick to shut her down, an obvious sign he still didn’t trust her at all.

“Is this because you still don’t trust me?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “If I say that I can stay up through the night and keep an eye on things while the rest of you sleep, then I can do it.”

“Come on, Scott. Give her a chance, please?” Annie yawned rubbing her eyes. “She just wants to help us. You should let her.”

Scott couldn’t help but feel like he was being put on the spot now since all eyes were on him. “Okay fine. She can take second watch, I guess.”

“Thanks, Annie,” Victoria replied gratefully with a smile.

“Well there goes the neighborhood.” Rand looked at Lancer.

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“Glad to be back home?” Brian asked, seated up against the old rail-car as Justin fed more wood into their makeshift campfire, and then took a seat himself, pulling out his pocket watch.

He couldn’t believe the thing had stopped working, but as he looked it over he noticed it was also apparently stuck on a specific time.

“Nice pocket watch,” Brian commented, eyeing the antique in Justin’s right hand. “Family heirloom?”

“Yeah,” Justin answered plainly, still focused on the watch’s frozen hands. “It’s broken though.”

Brian now offered Justin a look of sympathy as he took out a fresh pack of cigarettes and lit one, popping it into the corner of his mouth.

“It was after midnight when that light appeared wasn’t it?” Justin asked next, catching Brian off guard.

“I think so?” Brian shrugged. “But in all honesty I don’t remember.”

“It was,” Justin reaffirmed as he held the front of the pocket watch out in front of Brian’s face so he could see exactly what Justin was seeing. “Notice the time my watch is frozen on?”

Brian narrowed his eyes. “Twelve-thirty?”

Justin nodded as he pulled it away. “That must have been the exact time it engulfed us and the entire city. Now we know for sure it happened, cause my watch here is proof of that.”

Brian shot him a blank look. “We know it happened because we’re here now and not back home. That’s all the proof you need.” He shook his head in disbelief, when Justin suddenly switched the subject.

“I’m starting to think killing that one was a bad idea,” Justin admitted as he tossed a piece of rubble across the dirt floor. “I let my pride get the best of me, now here we are.”

Brian blew out a harsh breath. “At least we’ve got cigarettes.”

“I hope your teeth rot!” Justin quipped in annoyance as he reached for that duffle bag full of canned food stuffs, and pulled out a can opener. “Here reach inside and pick a can.” Justin offered, situating the bag between the both of them. “Think of it like grabbing a prize.”

Brian rolled his eyes as he reached inside and pulled out a can of split pea soup. “Gross,” He retched with disgust.

Next, Justin reached inside and grabbed one. “I got Vienna sausages,” Justin said with surprise, flashing the can in front of Brian’s face. “I’m sure these are disgusting as hell but I’m starving as it is.”

Then the next thing they knew, a cold draft began making its way through the tunnel, chilling them both to the bones as they started warming their hands over the fire.

“I hope this is our last night in this place. We really need to find a better hideout,” Justin frowned. “Of course I would prefer waking up in my own bed again, back home where this place doesn’t even exist.”

“Same here,” Brian agreed, sipping the cold, mushy soup. The taste was just as bad as he anticipated, causing him to growl and chuck the can far across the other side of the tunnel. Justin was rather speechless, but couldn’t help notice that Brian appeared to have a hell of a throwing arm.

“Nice throw,” Justin commented with a mouth full of the little sausages. “These aren’t too bad actually.”

Brian groaned, and then reached inside the duffle bag once again to retrieve a can of sliced peaches.

“This should be much better,” Brian hoped as he used the can opener and pried the top off. “By the way I’m sorry about this morning.”

“Me too,” Justin responded rather sheepishly while he chewed his food. “I’m also sorry for calling you a coward today, but I just get so fed up when people don’t fight back. And no offense, but that’s what it seemed like you were doing.”

Brian suddenly reached inside the right pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out a photo of him and his brother. “This was him.” Brian handed Justin the old photo, showing a happy young man and an even happier little boy standing at his side.

“You’re not going to believe what I’m about to say, but I’ve seen this picture before,” Justin said then as he looked it over. “I was assigned to a top secret project at Atlantech and I volunteered to investigate the death of a young pilot who had flown one of the old prototypes. The AF-22 to be exact. And there during my first dissection of the craft’s remains, I stumbled upon what was left of the cockpit and came across that very same photo. I found it on the inside on the floor, it had nearly been perfectly preserved by the fire if you can believe that, but then as I held it in my hands it just crumbled into dust. It was the strangest thing I’d ever seen.”

Brian’s eyes widened, suddenly he had lost his appetite. “Did you ever find out how exactly he was killed?”

Justin frowned as he handed the photo back to him, not wanting to answer the question because he knew what he was about to say would only break Brian’s heart even more. “It was a bomb. One of our enemies planted it.”

Brian immediately felt his heart shatter inside. “A bomb?” He repeated, looking back at Justin, stunned as hell.

“Yeah,” Justin sighed remorsefully.

“Who planted it, do you know?” Brian asked.

Justin braced himself now. “It was an elder Tjatey warrior who went by the name of Naeem. Unlike the others he was never fully committed to giving up the old ways.”

“What did my brother ever do to him?” Brian wondered as his eyes swam with tears.

“Nothing, trust me,” Justin answered. “He was just an evil piece of shit. That’s’ all you need to know. But he’s dead now. I know because I _killed_ him.”

Brian’s face seemed awash with shock as he listened. “You did?”

Justin nodded. “I had to, was left with no other choice sadly, especially after he murdered Sergeant Dickerson.” He tossed the empty can of Vienna sausages across the dirt floor. “Wasn’t my proudest moment but I did what I had to. But I guess you can rest better now, right?”

“Yeah I guess,” Brian replied dolefully, as painful memories began to resurface in his mind.

Justin couldn’t help but feel sorry for the guy. He still didn’t know him all that well but it didn’t matter. Justin didn’t like seeing him so down in the dumps, and suddenly he had the craziest idea to start singing a tune they both knew well.

“If you’re blue, and you don’t know where to go, why don’t you go where Atlantis flits, puttin’ on the ritz.”

Brian shot Justin an incredulous look just then, leaving Justin to wonder if he had only made the situation worse, when the next thing he knew Brian added the second verse of the song.

“Spangled gowns upon the bevy of high class crowns, from down the levy in Gambler’s Strip, puttin’ on the ritz.”

Nodding his head in approval, Justin began slapping his hands on his knees in a rhythmic pattern, as though to imitate a drum beat, while he and Brian sang the main chorus of the song together in unison.

“That’s where each and every lulu-bell goes, every Thursday evening with her swell beaus, rubbin elbows. Come with me and we’ll attend their jubilee, and see them spend their last two bits, puttin’ on the ritz.”

They finished the song and all was quiet again.

“The Jazzettes,” Brian commented a moment later with a slight smile. “My brother and I saw them live once. Nice looking quartet.”

Justin snickered. “Yeah and I’m sure you were only looking at their faces.”

Brian pulled an annoyed face at him, but his cheeks turned red with embarrassment.

“It’s all right,” Justin gave him an appraising nod. “No matter your age, you know a nice pair of gams when you see em’."

The blush left Brian’s face once his homesickness returned to the fore again. Neither did he bring it up since he already knew it was the same for Justin, and they were both just trying to find some way to distract themselves from this hellish predicament they’d been thrown into.

“So what are we going to do about our new friends out there now?” Brian asked next as he pulled out another cigarette and lit it. “Or maybe you could just sing them all to death.” He remarked with smugness a second later.

Justin smirked with amusement, but he and Brian both knew they were running out of options, apart from the whole bomb idea which was still up in the air. Still, they needed to come up with some sort of plan to deal with the Invid, or risk taking their chances out on the open road where they’d be exposed to even more of those things. It seemed to be a lose-lose situation for now.

“I really don’t know, but I’ll think of something,” Justin replied tiredly as he lay down then, using the backpack of foodstuffs as a pillow for his head. “If you’re gonna stay up all night, the least you can do is keep the fire going. We already know how cold it can get in here without any heat.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Brian muttered quietly as he leaned his back against the rail-car and began fiddling around with his new lighter, flicking the flame on and off like a light switch. He was bored out of his mind.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

“So is it my turn to take over yet?” Victoria yawned as she headed over to where Scott was seated on a small hill and plopped down next to him, drinking from her flask.

He seemed a bit aloof to her company, but he could already tell the woman was drunk, and pretty badly since she kept falling over herself, and even started giggling and quietly singing a verse of some French song.

 _“Dites-nous, Joséphine puisqu'on te revoit charmante et divine.”_ She playfully nudged him in the arm, drawing a blank stare from him in return.

 _Great_ , he thought with utter annoyance, realizing she wasn’t in any condition to watch over them now.

“Oh come on now, Long-Johns,” she teased. “Where’s your sense of fun? You’re all work and no play. At least have a drink with me.” She then offered him a swig from her flask, which he curtly declined.

“Sorry, lady but no thank you,” he shook his head.

“Party pooper,” She quipped, making the most pouty melodramatic face at him. If he wasn’t so annoyed at the moment he probably would have found it cute.

“Oh, I know you don’t like me all that much,” She remarked next, taking another drink. “But can we at least get along before my departure? I’m not going to bite you I promise.” She flashed a drunken smile.

Surprisingly, he actually felt bad that she’d assumed that of him in the first place. It just wasn’t true and unlike her slimy partner she was actually friendly and seemed like someone he and his team could trust, for now anyway.

“Well I apologize if I made you feel that way cause I sure didn’t mean to,” He explained. “And to be quite honest here, I thought it was you who didn’t like me, especially since you’ve done nothing but keep your distance from me. I mean, you seem nice and Annie sure likes you a lot.”

Victoria looked over at Annie who was fast asleep in her sleeping bag, and smiled.

“No answer huh?” Scott remarked.

“Well, I’ve kept my distance because you’ve done nothing but give me dirty looks since I got here,” Victoria finally replied, sounding rather agitated now.

Scott had to wonder if she might be sobering up.

“Maybe you’re not aware of it but you don’t exactly look like the friendly inviting type, so of course I’m going to stay away.”

He looked a bit surprised by her answer. “Well I guess I wasn’t aware of it. Once again I apologize. I’m not usually like that. Must have been a bad day.”

She huffed. “I’ll say.”

“So, do you have any children of your own?” He asked then trying to change the subject to something a little more civil.

“No I don’t actually,” she replied, taking another swig from her flask, and then shot him an insulted look. “Why? Do I look _old_ to you or something?”

 _Great, now you’ve done it_ , _Scott_ , he shook his head.

“I’m only twenty-six for crying out loud,” She groaned. “But I’d love to have children of my own someday. Maybe I’ll have a daughter just like Annie.” She fawned over that idea in her mind.

But all the while things appeared civil between the two of them, he couldn’t help but feel a little depressed from this conversation, as it reminded him of the life that had been so cruelly taken away from him before it even started.

“You okay?” She asked once she realized he’d gotten real quiet.

“Fine,” he lied, refusing to bring up the subject of his deceased fiancé.

“Well you should get some rest, Long-Johns.” She gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. “I’m here now so I’ll take over for you.”

“I appreciate the offer, but unfortunately you’re drunk,” he said point-blank. “I’m afraid we’re going to need someone else, someone preferably sober.

She sighed deep, feeling utterly embarrassed. “Well I can keep you company at least? After all I think we’re having a nice little conversation, don’t you?”

“I suppose,” he answered.

“I’m really sorry for getting drunk,” She apologized sheepishly. “After such a rough of day of not finding Enrique, having my gun taken away, and almost getting killed by the Invid, I just really needed to drink, you see? By the way, I don’t know how the hell you people do this day after day, but you have my utmost respect, and the least I can do while I’m here temporarily, is help you fine people in any way that I can.”

“Don’t worry I understand,” he acknowledged, despite the fact she’d just reminded him that he might have been a little too harsh on her before.

“And don’t worry, just because I’m drunk doesn’t mean I’m going to act all crazy,” she reassured him. “It’s not like I’m going to come onto you or anything. For one, my heart belongs to someone else, and two, I wouldn’t dream of it in a million years. No offense,” she added flatly.

Now he wasn’t sure if he should feel insulted or relieved, maybe a little of both?

“To whom? That young bartender you’re trying to find?” He asked.

“Enrique? Goodness no, my secret admirer,” she answered, taking another swig. “He promised in one of his letters that we would meet one of these days. And even though I’m still stuck here for the time being, I hold out hope that we just might find each other before it’s over.” Her gaze then lowered to the ground. “I have to believe in that. It’s the only thing that can keep me going. I’m certainly not going to find hope in this damned flask.” She then tossed the empty canister on the ground.

He had to agree with her, but at the same time he wondered how she could be so in love with a man she’d never even met before. Then again, he knew it probably wasn’t his place to judge.

“Well in that case I hope you do find each other,” he said with sincerity.

“Thank you,” she smiled appreciatively “And don’t worry, Long-Johns. You’re a kind man underneath it all. I’m sure you’ll find that special someone one day too. You just have to act a little less serious, that’s all. Oh, and you need to smile more too. Or you’ll end up looking like him.” She angled her thumb in Maxwell’s direction as he slept on the ground a good ways from the others.

The thought of that made Scott shudder, but he also couldn’t help but feel pained inside over this subject once again. He knew Victoria meant well but it just wasn’t something he needed to hear at this time.

“You’re looking glum again, want a smoke?” Victoria asked, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from her purse next and offered him one.

“No thanks I don’t smoke,” he replied watching as she popped one into her mouth and lit it. “To tell you the truth you’d be better off quitting yourself.”

She couldn’t help but agree with him there. “I know it isn’t good for me,” she sighed. “But I’ve done a lot of things that aren’t good for me. I call that survival.”

“I’m sure there are better ways,” he answered, beginning to wonder if there was a lot more she wasn’t telling him and his teammates. “Anyway, I think I’ll wake Lancer and have him take over for me so I can get some sleep. You should probably get some rest too before you pass out.”

“Or I could just stay here and keep Lancer company instead,” she teased, exhaling a puff of smoke. “I’m sure he or _she_ has plenty to talk about. Besides, where I come from we’re all a bunch of night owls anyway.”

“Well then suit yourself,” Scott said as he stood back up, when he decided to finally pop that burning question that’s been on his mind the entire time.

“By the way, can I ask why you keep calling me Long Johns?”

She chuckled as she took another drag from her cigarette. “It’s your uniform, sweetie,” she pointed out. “It looks like a damned pair of underwear.”

“Oh I see,” he duly noted, feeling a little embarrassed now. “Well anyway, good night.” He turned to leave when she spoke up again.

“By the way I’m glad we had this chat,” she added with a smile. “Turns out you’re not so bad after all, Long-Johns. Good night.”

“Thanks,” he replied, returning a smile. “Good night.”


	6. The Sandstorm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott and his team come across a small town, but not all is as it seems, and things between teammates and their two traveling companions becomes heated.
> 
> Meanwhile, Stan hijacks a truck full of valuable supplies where he and William come across an entire city buried under ice. Thinking it might be their home or that there are other survivors there, they head down to investigate. 
> 
> Justin and Brian find out there might be more to their dead Invid friend than meets the eye, and while the rest of his teammates are holed up in a cave during a raging sandstorm, Rand heads out in search of cacti but comes face to face with Ammon instead.

The following day after they’d left, Scott and his team had come across a small town that he’d spotted from the Alpha. But since they were still low on protoculture fuel, it was decided that only a few of them would head in to check it out while the others stayed behind and waited. The plan was not only to refuel their supplies, but to also drop off Victoria and Maxwell since that had been the goal from the start.

It had only been less than a week so far, but in that short amount of time Victoria had learned so much from these strangers who she now considered her friends. They each had soul and heart, as well as their own strengths and weaknesses based on what she observed. But above all else she admired their courage in going against such a great enemy that pretty much had the entire world under their thumb.

In a way the Invid invasion kind of reminded her of Morane’s control over Atlantis City. Both of them had blind followers who showed no resistance and saw the military as the enemy, and both of them were hell bent on eliminating any threats to their power. The only difference seemed to be that Morane was a tyrannical sadist on top of it all, while the Invid were all about survival, or so it seemed. Although after her close call with the Invid yesterday she had to wonder if they might just be as bloodthirsty as the man himself. He once told Victoria, _“I kill because I like it,”_ when he explained to her why it was important that he deliver his message himself rather than depending on somebody else to do it for him.

_“It’s one thing to send a messenger, but when you deliver the message yourself? It’s a lot more personal and in their eyes you are god and you are the very last thing they see before it’s over. It’s a feeling like no other, Miss Thompson. Almost intoxicating. I’m sure you must have felt some kind of power when you killed that film producer. It was an accident yes, but you were still the one with the power in that situation, weren’t you?”_

After listening to that little confession of his, she couldn’t help but wonder if that’s the reason he killed his wife himself instead of sending somebody else to do it for him. He must’ve wanted to make it personal, especially to his wife’s lover at the time. But for him to even bring up the first time she ever killed someone as though it were some grand achievement was about as vile as one could get. First of all, she didn’t mean to kill that man, and second, it was out of self defense and she had deeply regretted it then. Only, Morane didn’t know about Victoria’s other victims after that; all the witnesses to her crimes she had shot in cold blood in order to protect her identity. He didn’t know about any of it and with good reason, because if he ever found out the truth he would kill her and Maxwell in a heartbeat for stealing from the city; for stealing from him.

Everything was about money with that man and nothing else. The more coming in the better, the less coming in and somebody would have to pay with their lives. It made her wonder if the Invid must have felt the same way about their protoculture since it was more or less their lifeblood. In this universe it seemed just as valuable as gold and also in short supply as her friends always seemed to be searching for more. They needed it to power their mecha, and during her little late night chat session with Lancer he told her about the time they arranged a heist in order to steal a bunch of protoculture from a warehouse using a Yellow Dancer concert as a distraction.

_“You guys didn’t kill anyone did you?” She had asked, sounding eager to find out if these people might be just as guilty as she was._

_“They stole a man’s truck at gun point, but he was only tied up and left on the side of the road,” Lancer had explained. “It’s actually the same one Lunk drives now, just a bit modified you see.”_

_“Oh.”_

Just as she had figured before, these people weren’t anything like her or Maxwell. They didn’t seem to have a dark side, or at least none that she could see. If any of them did they were certainly good at hiding it, maybe even better than herself. Yet unbeknownst to her, Marlene was the only other person in this group who was not as she seemed, for the mysterious pink haired woman was in fact an Invid spy called Ariel.

After the failed experiment with the genesis pit due to human contamination, the Invid queen had concluded that the human race was the most suitable form for her children, and thus Ariel was the first to evolve. But unfortunately her memory loss had been a mistake, as the Invid carrier that had been responsible for transporting her egg had accidentally dropped her on the way to its destination.

And now the confused woman had no clue of who or what she was, but anytime her kind were near or trying to make contact with her it would trigger some kind of migraine or seizure, which explained why none of the humans were able to understand what was wrong with her, instead assuming it was nothing more than an episode of PTSD. But of course that didn’t explain the sudden appearance of the Invid whenever it happened, or why she seemed able to detect them before they even saw them. That alone was puzzling and only added to the mystery of just who she was, but they also didn’t know the Invid had chosen to evolve into human form either.

Although unlike Ariel’s memory loss, Morane’s android spy Stan Winston knew exactly who he was as well as what he’d been programmed for. The only thing Stan seemed to wrestle with was the fact that he could never truly know what it’s like to be human. That’s where Ariel at least had the advantage over him. But there was no telling how Scott and his team would react if they found out the truth about her. Stan on the other hand, was already dealing with the cold hard rejection from his best friend.

However, William was unconscious for the time being while Stan carried him over his shoulder, trekking his way across the sandy landscape. He must have walked for at least an entire earth day so far, and since Morane was out of the picture Stan’s only objective for now was to get William into a more suitable environment; hopefully one with a fresh water source and supply of food. All the things a human would need in order to survive in this world.

Still, Stan would look over his shoulder every now and then, looking out for any possible signs of that monstrous thing they encountered before. Whatever it was, it had targeted them because of Stan’s blood serum, and now the android had to wonder if such an attack might occur with another of its kind should they cross paths. He hoped he was wrong. Yet hope seemed to be just out of reach; that is until Stan spotted a long stretch of road as well as an oncoming vehicle, and not just any vehicle but a large eight-wheeler truck. And judging from the size, it had to be in the midst of transporting some kind of supplies somewhere. But where that was Stan could only guess, and neither did it matter because he needed that truck.

So after carefully laying William down on the ground, Stan walked over to the side of the road and stood there with his thumb up in a hitchhiker’s pose. The truck’s brakes began to squeal as it started slowing down.

Stan furrowed his brow as it suddenly came to a full stop right beside him. The driver, a heavy set looking man, had an all but questioning look on his face now.

Stan smirked at the man and then opened the passenger door.

“I need to borrow your truck.”

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

In the meantime, Scott had led the way on his cyclone to check out this new town, followed by Rand with Victoria riding pillion behind him. They were both using regular gasoline as their fuel source for now so the Invid couldn’t detect them, however that wouldn’t prevent them from being caught out in the open since their Robotech mecha would be the one thing to give them away if an Invid patrol happened to pass by. As of now that was the one thing the two men were concerned about. After all, time was of the essence, so they needed to take care of this little side mission and get back to the rest of the team as fast as possible.

Lunk and Annie were also not too far behind in the APC along with Maxwell, who was still gagged and tied up in the truck bed, mumbling the entire way there. He couldn’t wait to be freed and rid of these people once and for all, and he was more than certain the feeling was mutual on their end. Still, he debated over whether or not he should take the risk and shoot one of them once he had his revolver back in his clutches. It was true they also had side-arms of their own, those Mars Gallant blaster guns, but he couldn’t recall if he’d seen any of them use those weapons yet or not. So perhaps trying to kill one of them wouldn’t be a smart move after all? Maybe instead, Maxwell would simply shoot out one of Lunk’s tires for treating him like a damned dog. That would certainly put a damper on their plans and that’s precisely what Maxwell was hoping to accomplish.

But while Maxwell was occupied with thoughts of revenge, the former actress had other things on her mind as she held on tightly to Rand’s armored waist, just as they were pulling up beside what appeared to be the town’s main street. He could tell she was anxious to get off his cyc and check out the scenery, as she yelled excitedly over the roaring engine, trying to tell him each and every thing she was planning to do once she got settled in there. He felt happy for her but a part of him knew he would miss having her around, and not just because she wouldn’t be around for him to gawk at whenever Rook was being difficult, but rather because he’d become fond of her.

In a lot of ways she was like an older version of Annie, which might have explained why those two had bonded so closely in such a short amount of time. But other than that he just hated getting to know someone and then seeing them go. He hadn’t always felt that way back when he preferred the company of himself, but after spending enough time with all these people he realized the importance of having others around. This group had become something of a family to him and here he was preparing to say goodbye to someone else who could have been a part of that if they wanted.

Yet something in Victoria’s voice told him otherwise as they slowly pulled up alongside Scott, shutting off their engines. That’s about the time he and Scott noticed how strange the people of this quaint little town were behaving as soon as they spotted them. They saw people scurrying about and running inside the rows of townhouses which lined the main street. Doors and window shutters were promptly shut and even locked as the clicking sounds could be heard from all around.

However, not all of the people were so quick to run and hide, as some of the men were standing around staring back at the newcomers, giving them not-so-friendly looks. It seemed to be mostly the women and children that had gone into hiding. And while the town wasn’t terribly as run-down looking as some of the others they’d seen before, it did have an old fashioned charm about it.

There were several shops on the ground floors of the townhouses, a movie theater and even a saloon, which Victoria had so eagerly pointed out, “Look they’ve even got a bar! Now at long last I can finally refill my flask!”

 _What a boozehound_ , Rand was thinking now as he put down the kickstand, and then helped her down from the seat.

Then the next thing they knew, Lunk had pulled up, and killed the jeep’s engine. And not a second later did the plucky teenager throw open the passenger door and hop out of the seat, before rushing over to Victoria and wrapping her arms around the woman’s waist in a tight embrace. Tears were streaming down her freckled face as she clung onto her new best friend for dear life, begging her not to leave.

“Oh please don’t go, Victoria!” Annie begged now as the others looked on feeling sorry for her. “I’m gonna miss you so much, who else is gonna find me a dress as pretty as yours? I really wish you could stay with us. Will you change your mind?”

Feeling put on the spot, Victoria wasn’t quite sure how to respond but she hugged Annie back just the same, smiling down at her while gently stroking her long hair. After learning that Annie had been left behind by her parents, Victoria couldn’t help but feel as though she were only doing the same to this poor girl, running out on her and leaving her behind. And now the only feeling she felt was shame, shame for being no better than Annie’s own mother at that. But then Victoria remembered who she was and why she couldn’t stay for Annie even if she wanted to. One way or another she would have to make the girl understand.

“I’m sorry sweetie, but this is just how it has to be. Maxwell and I don’t belong with you and your group. You know that.”

 _Maxwell sure doesn’t_ , Scott was thinking harshly while keeping a watchful eye on those townsmen who were giving them all very unwelcome looks. And while this town might have been small there was no telling if the Invid had taken control of it or not. Yet the all too familiar behavior they had witnessed from these people seemed to be pointing to yes. Either way Scott was on high alert now.

“Hey, wasn’t there a lot more people out here before?” Annie suddenly asked as she let go of Victoria and looked around. “Where’d they all go?”

“I don’t know, but I’m getting that eerie feeling of déjà vu,” Rand commented and then looked over at Scott.

“So am I,” Scott agreed lifting up the visor of his helmet, when he suddenly spotted those men gathering themselves in front of that saloon looking back at him with the most ominous unfriendly faces. The feeling was mutual on his part, and being that he and Rand were both wearing their CVR armor, he had to wonder if these people were also against the military.

“Well I suppose this is goodbye,” Victoria then announced as she turned to Scott. “Now all you have to do is give us back our guns, then you fellas can be on your way to Reflux point.”

Scott remained silent as he kept an eye on those men, waiting to see if they’d try anything.

“Earth to space man!” She griped just then, now getting his full attention. “My gun, please?”

“I think we should find another town,” he insisted. “I don’t like the vibe of this place. The people here seem like they’re up to no good.”

Rand nodded in agreement. “Sorry, Goldilocks, but I think the man is right. This place is bad news.”

“Oh for Pete’s sake!” She spat madly, clenching her teeth. She couldn’t believe the nerve of this man to go back on his deal with her. “I can handle myself! Now give me back my gun. We had a deal, remember? We even shook on it!”

“Yes I know,” Scott responded firmly. “But it just doesn’t feel right leaving the two of you here in a place like this. It isn’t safe.” He suddenly noticed the looks the men were giving her now. She would be an easy target for them for sure, with or without her gun. There was no way she could defend herself against the mob and he knew Maxwell wouldn’t protect her and that was just another thing he wouldn’t be able to live with.

“Well? I’m waiting?” She began tapping her heel impatiently.

“Forget this place, we’ll find another,” Scott said then, firing up his cyclone and taking off.

Maxwell rolled his eyes. _So much for my freedom now._

“Sounds good to me!” Annie happily agreed as she climbed back inside the truck as Lunk turned the ignition. “I wasn’t ready to say goodbye anyway.”

Victoria just stood there, hands on her hips in utter disbelief.

“You heard the man, now hop back on,” Rand called over to her as he patted the seat.

Victoria groaned as she reluctantly climbed back on. “Fine.” _But that man and I are going to have a serious talk about this later on. How dare he not keep his end of the deal!_

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Her blood boiled with rage, until she and the others soon spotted an Invid patrol heading their way.

“Perfect timing!” Rand groaned, and then looked to his leader for direction as he caught up beside him. “Should we gun it, Scott? Or do we engage?”

The hardened leader wasn’t given much time to think once the enemy began firing in their general direction. And from what he could tell there were four of them, and with just him and Rand in the cyclone armor it wouldn’t be enough. They needed reinforcements.

“We can’t take these guys on by ourselves,” Scott replied. “We need to get back to the others.”

“Alright then, so we gun it,” Rand acknowledged, revving his cyclone’s engine and signaling with his hand for Victoria to hold on tight.

“We gun it,” Scott agreed, also revving his engine and popping a wheelie before taking off at full speed.

“You guys are what?” Victoria panicked, until she heard the loud roar of Rand’s cyclone and tightened her grip around his armored waist. “Oh Christ!”

“Hang on tight, Goldilocks!” Rand hollered back at her as he goosed the throttle. He and Scott had no choice now but to switch back to their protoculture reserves.

Lunk followed close behind as the Invid gave chase, still firing at them and getting closer. The riders began weaving in between the blasts of annihilation discs as they pelted the ground around them. One blast even struck the ground right ahead, nearly knocking them off their cyclones, but they managed to swerve out of the way just in the nick of time.

Inside the bed of Lunk’s truck, Maxwell was thrown around like rag doll and helpless to prevent himself from falling out if they hit another bump like yesterday. He couldn’t believe it but he was actually wishing Victoria was there. At least she would be kind enough to save him again, or so he hoped. He knew she didn’t think too highly of him, especially after all the trouble he’d caused, nearly sabotaging their escape plans in the process. And despite his personal grudge with Scott he realized just how badly he needed this group’s protection, especially now as he lay flat on his back with horror filled eyes as he gazed up at the red-eyed Cyclops menace as it attempted to swipe at the truck bed with one of its sharp pincer claws, barely missing.

Maxwell shrieked with utter terror loud enough for everyone else to hear.

Hearing Maxwell’s muffled screams, Victoria looked behind her and gasped with horror as she watched the shock trooper take another swipe at Lunk’s vehicle, nearly knocking it off track. She even heard Annie crying out for help now, which only seemed to trigger her maternal instincts.

“They need help!” Victoria cried out frantically, hoping either Rand or Scott would hear her. Thankfully they both did and were also aware of the situation, when another blast of plasma fire struck the ground, making them realize the Invid needed to be dealt with now.

So without further hesitation, Scott quickly thumbed the switch on his cyclone, morphing it into battloid mode to act as distraction while Rand and Lunk went for reinforcements.

Mechamorphosis was the name of this unique process, in which the bizarre looking motorcycle transformed into some kind of power suit, bonding to the rider’s CVR armor with an assortment of weaponry at the wearer’s disposal. It was the most impressive feat about these cyclones as Victoria had come to understand, and their fighter jets also seemed to possess this ability. But unlike the cyclones the alpha fighters apparently had three different reconfiguration modes; standard fighter, which she had already seen, guardian mode, and battloid.

All in all, the mechanics of these machines seemed next to impossible in any sane universe, but here in this one it was possible. The AMF back home was definitely missing out on this one. Then again the AMF didn’t seem to have any purpose for such technology.

“Your leader is insane taking on all of them by himself!” Victoria shouted in disbelief. “Does he have a death-wish?”

Rand then recalled all the instances he had asked himself the same question. “Probably, but at least he bought us enough time to get back to the others!” He shouted back.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Back at the post site, Lancer soon spotted the attack from a pair of binoculars. He could already see that Scott was taking on the Invid shock troopers by himself, nearly getting minced by the trooper’s pincers in the process.

“Looks like they need backup.” He then turned and mentioned to Rook and Marlene.

“Figures,” Rook groaned as she began strapping on her armor. “Do you think if we just give them Maxwell they’ll leave us alone?”

Lancer had to chuckle at that. “No I’m afraid they don’t want him either.”

“Good thing we finally got rid of him then.” Rook smirked.

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Lancer said next much to her disappointment, as he spotted both Victoria and Maxwell with the group as they arrived on the scene.

Rook groaned in disgust.

“Oh noooooooo!” Marlene suddenly squeezed her eyes shut and wailed as she gripped the sides of her head with her hands, letting her teammates know the Invid were nearing closer.

“Hang in there, Marlene,” Lancer said, as Rand suddenly rode up and pulled up beside him.

“I see our two stragglers are still with us,” Lancer commented with surprise, and then helped a very panicked and dazed Victoria down from the cyclone’s seat.

“Yeah and we also have some unwanted guests too,” Rand remarked then as he reconfigured the cyclone, morphing it into a full body armored suit just like Scott’s.

“I see that,” Lancer noted before activating his cyclone armor as well.

“Oh, my hair it’s a mess!” Victoria exclaimed in disgust, once she pulled out her compact mirror and had a look for herself.

“Your hair or your life,” Lancer remarked smugly before taking off with Rand and Rook.

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Marlene was now on the ground, cradling her head and crying out in pain, when Annie suddenly arrived at her side and told her they needed to take cover. Victoria followed them, shrieking with fright as she watched from the safety of the trees while the team took on that frequent menace known as the Invid. She hadn’t been on this planet for very long but she already hated them with a passion. But on the plus side she was relieved that Annie was at least safe now. And while she wanted nothing more than to hug the girl tight she held herself back.

“It’s okay, Marlene,” Annie tried comforting the strange woman. “The battle will be over soon. There’s not that many of them.”

“Oh, but there’s certainly going to be another battle of sorts,” Victoria promised through clenched teeth, shaking her fist in that leader’s general direction as he fired his missiles at the Invid targets, making himself look as though he were untouchable. _They might not be able to get you, spaceman but I sure will._

Marlene’s apparent migraine seemed to subside just then, but as she turned and peered over her shoulder and noticed a strange ghostly figure standing before her she gasped.

 _“Don’t worry your pain is gone for now,”_ the figure said to her with a friendly smile. _“Only I possess the ability to block it. You can rest easy.”_

The Invid woman couldn’t believe what she had just witnessed then. And while she didn’t quite understand what the man had said, she noticed that he spoke with a very calm and friendly tone which had appeared to put her at ease.

“Huh? What is it, Marlene?” A worried Annie asked next.

“There was, a man,” Marlene stated with shock, after noticing the figure had seemed to vanish right before her very eyes. “He was standing right there.” She pointed behind them.

This only made Annie wonder if it might have been Ammon that she saw. But then again why would he choose to appear to Marlene now instead of her? It didn’t make any sense unless he had chosen to make her the guardian of the Seba, being that Annie had screwed up in the first place by activating the stupid thing. So perhaps Ammon had lost all trust in her completely?

“Wait a minute, did she just talk?” Victoria gasped with bewilderment over realizing that Marlene wasn’t so mute after all.

“She only used to repeat the words of others,” Annie explained. “That means her memory must be getting better.”

“And apparently she must have seen bigfoot too,” Victoria joked as she lit a cigarette, trying her best to humor her friends in that moment of utter chaos. “I honestly don’t know how you’ve all managed to survive this long in such a messed up place. It’s been less than week for me and it’s already driving me crazy. And I don’t see any hairdressers out here either, do you?”

Annie shook her head.

“Figures,” Victoria grumbled as she ran a hand through her now messy hair, feeling all sorts of knots and tangles in the process.

_Maybe they had one back at that town these people refused to drop me off at?_

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But once the skirmish came to a close and the enemy was defeated, the tired fighters made their way back to the site. There was a short debate over whether or not to camp there for the night or keep moving till dark. Most agreed to just stay for the night, excluding Scott of course, who was determined to keep going until he couldn’t. As obsessed with fighting the Invid as the man was Victoria couldn’t help but wonder if he was on some kind of suicide mission. With all this talk about making it to Reflex Point, whatever that destination was, he was determined to get there no matter the cost.

It was also plain to see that some of his team members weren’t as enthusiastic about the war. As a matter of fact, it was Rand that always seemed to be at odds with their leader; more so than herself, as she had listened to these two bicker quite often, and even had to wonder what a young man like Rand was even doing tagging along with somebody as hard-headed as Scott. She could only imagine how the two of them had met in the first place.

When night soon fell again, the team gathered around their camp fire eating out of cans from their stash of rations. However, their supply appeared to be getting low and there didn’t appear to be much game around to hunt either. Which meant they would eventually run out of food and water completely if they didn’t find another town or water source, but as of now that was the last thing any of them wanted to think about. There was already enough to worry about as things were, and while everyone remained quiet it was obvious they were all afraid.

“Maybe we should have taken our chances on that town after all,” Rand brought up all of a sudden, breaking the awkward silence while saying the one thing that was on everyone’s minds.

But of course the very mention of that place again only served to remind Victoria of her own unresolved conflict with their leader.

“Don’t be stupid, Rand,” Scott replied dismissively. “That place was trouble and you know it.”

Nobody else spoke a word but the tension was rising.

“And running out of food isn’t trouble?” Rand exclaimed in disbelief as he stood up and threw his empty can on the ground, like a child throwing a tantrum. “What happens if it takes days until we find the next place? Then what, huh, Scott?”

“Calm down, Rand,” Lancer suddenly butt in. “Getting angry isn’t going to solve our problems either.”

But Rand wasn’t in any mood to calm down. “And who asked you?” He spat.

“Rand, please?” Rook sighed wearily. “We’re all tired and angry. Can’t we just sleep on it and figure out what to do in the morning?”

If anyone had the power to disarm Rand then it was Rook Bartley. She was his one true weakness, despite his apparent attraction to the washed up celebrity. But in truth Victoria simply couldn’t hold a candle to that strawberry blonde warrior of a woman in her red and white skin tight body suit.

Rand huffed angrily one last time, and then stormed off towards his cyclone to retrieve his sleeping bag from the storage compartment.

The others soon followed, but the fury burning inside of Victoria had soon become too much to bear. She would strike now.

“Don’t think that I’ve forgotten what you did to me!” She stood before Scott with defiance, clenching her fists. “You broke our deal, remember? The one you agreed to and even shook on? That one,” she continued, egging him on. “Now enough with the god damned games! I want my gun back and I want one of you to take Maxwell and I back to that town! That was the deal, how dare you back down on it!”

After already listening to an earful from Rand, Scott wasn’t at all in the mood to hear the same from her. “Fine. A deal’s a deal,” he responded with harshness as he stood up and locked eyes with her. “Lunk, give them back their weapons, and untie that rat partner of hers too while you’re at it.”

“You got it,” Lunk replied as he fetched the guns from the hiding space in the back compartment of his APC, and then went ahead and cut through the ropes which bound Maxwell’s wrists and ankles with his pocket knife.

“I guess today’s your lucky day,” Lunk remarked after he freed the bitter snob of a man, who then pulled the gag out of his mouth himself and threw it at Lunk’s face.

“Piss off!” Maxwell quipped angrily.

Once Scott had Victoria’s pistol back in his hand, instead of walking over and handing it over he merely tossed it on the ground at her feet. “There, are you satisfied now?” He remarked coldly. “As for you and your partner, feel free to walk yourselves back to that town. We are done here!”

Victoria huffed as she knelt down to collect her weapon, wiping the dirt off of it before placing it back inside her purse. “Now was that really so difficult?” She hurled at him as he turned his back on her. “I don’t know why you couldn’t have done that earlier when I asked in the first place. Instead you acted as though I’m incapable of defending myself. Why is that? Because I’m in a dress and heels, hmm? Well you’re wrong about me, Long-Johns. I’m more than capable of handling myself, and with that, Maxwell and I will be on our way. Good riddance!”

Annie remained seated in silence next to Marlene, with tears her in eyes as she watched her new friend attempting to leave without so much as a good bye. It left her confused and for a moment she felt like she didn’t even know her anymore.

Maxwell on the other hand, seemed more than eager to join Victoria once he had his revolver back in his clutches, and kindly tucked it back inside the holster in his vest. However, Rook made sure to give that man one last scowl before he turned his back to leave.

“Wench,” Maxwell muttered under his breath at her.

Then as Victoria and Maxwell began walking off, Scott finally spoke up again, sounding rather insulted much to everyone’s surprise; as though his ego had been severely bruised.

“Do you honestly believe that’s what I think of you?”

He had her full attention now as she stopped and looked over her shoulder at him.

“I know you can defend yourself, against one man perhaps,” he continued. “But what about a group of them?” His thoughts immediately went back to those ominous faces he’d seen earlier, knowing their full intentions. “You’re just one woman, against the rest of them, Victoria. I’m sorry to say it, but you wouldn’t last very long in that place. And I’m sure that isn’t what you want. I know it’s not what any of us here wants for you as well.”

Hearing this only seemed to annoy Maxwell and he was quick to try and shut him down.

“I can assure you that Miss Thompson has nothing to worry about,” Maxwell sneered in response, showing off his revolver.

But Scott kindly ignored him. “What about that friend of yours you’re still trying to find? Or that secret admirer you still want to meet someday? What would they think if something were to happen to you? Better yet, how would they feel?”

Victoria remained silent as she listened, yet the look on her face said everything; his words had gotten to her. Seeing this, Maxwell began to grow impatient and started tugging on her shoulder.

“Come on, Miss Thompson.” We’ve got a long walk ahead of us.”

But the harsh realization had already set in her mind and there was no going back now. Scott had shattered her confidence completely.

“He’s right Maxwell,” she admitted then, which only caused her criminal partner to groan.

“What do you mean he’s right?” Maxwell argued, crossing his arms. “What does _he_ know?”

Her brow furrowed as she looked up at him. “He knows enough. We don’t know any of those people back there, or what they are capable of. We’d be stupid to take a chance like that and risk our lives. For now we’re better off with them, if they will still have us.” She looked to Scott again.

“As long as you don’t cause us anymore trouble,” Scott looked at Maxwell, who raised his hands in protest.

“As long as that means I don’t have to be gagged and bound anymore,” Maxwell hurled back.

“Fine,” Scott agreed. “But I’ll need that revolver back.”

Maxwell huffed. “What? No! What about hers?”He gestured towards Victoria’s purse.

“Just yours,” Scott replied much to her surprise, even though she was more than willing to give up her weapon once more to keep the peace between them.

“Please give it to him, Maxwell?” Victoria asked then, turning to face her bitter partner. “After everything that’s happened, we certainly don’t want to risk losing their trust in us completely, so please just do as he asks?”

Maxwell was hesitant for a moment, before realizing he didn’t have any other options and promptly walked over and handed Scott his revolver, muttering angrily the entire time.

Scott couldn’t help but take pleasure in his torment. “Now, was that really so hard?” He said in a mocking tone, before heading over and handing it back to Lunk. “Make sure you hide this in a different place.”

“You got it,” Lunk said.

Shortly after, everyone began to settle down for the night. Lunk, Rand, Rook, Marlene, and Annie were all fast asleep in their sleeping bags, while Maxwell and Victoria slept in the truck.

Scott and Lancer were still awake, seated up against the trunk of a tree, keeping watch over the others while having a nice little personal chat. After all, Lancer was the voice of reason in the group and the only one with the ability to tear down the walls some of his teammates had built around themselves, including Scott.

At first they talked about his argument with Rand, agreeing that the kid was right they needed a solution to the ration issue before getting too far along into their long journey, and then the subject switched to his ongoing conflict with the petite blonde from the mysterious Atlantis City, wherever it was.

“It’s a good thing you talked some sense into her,” Lancer commented, taking in the cool night breeze as it swept through his long purple hair. “I wasn’t there with you guys, but if you say that place was bad news then I believe you.”

“After what happened with that Donald Maxwell we didn’t want to take any more chances,” Scott replied. “I’ve already dealt with enough people who have sold us out to the Invid.”

“Oh I hear you on that,” Lancer nodded. “It’s really sad how they just gave up without a fight. Now they see us as the enemy. Hopefully that all will change once this war is over. But I have to ask, is the war between you and Miss Victoria finally over now?”

“I sure hope so,” Scott sighed tiredly. “I have nothing against the woman, but she doesn’t seem to feel that way.”

Lancer chuckled musingly. “Women sure are complicated.”

“Yep,” Scott agreed. “Still trying to figure out what’s with her and that gun though. Do you have any idea?”

Lancer took a moment to think it over. “Well she mentioned before she keeps it for protection, so I’d say it probably gives her a sense of security? Maybe even strength too? Much like that holo-locket of yours?”

“I suppose I could see that,” Scott said as he then looked down at the heart shaped locket in his lap, reminded of the special message from his deceased fiancé within it. “But I still find her partnership with Maxwell rather questionable.”

“We all do,” Lancer replied. “But aside from her quarrels with you, she’s been nothing but kind to the rest of us.”

Then Scott was suddenly reminded of that mysterious pendent again. “You think that necklace Annie found really had the power to bring her and Maxwell into our world? Or do you think that’s just some tall tale they told us just so we’d help them?”

Lancer shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows? But what I’m having trouble understanding is why someone would choose to hide that thing here?”

“Annie said her ghost friend did it to hide it from an enemy of his,” Scott answered. “So if that’s true then this thing is probably capable of a lot more than we know. Otherwise this enemy of his wouldn’t want it so badly.”

Lancer yawned stretching his arms. “Well just as long as that enemy doesn’t end up here too, I think we’ll be fine.”

“Yeah I agree,” Scott replied, when Lancer stood up to leave just then.

“Well it’s been a fun chat, but I think I’m going to turn in for the night. Good night, Scott,” Lancer smiled before heading off to bed.

“Goodnight,” Scott said.

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Sometime during the middle of the night, Annie had awakened after hearing a voice calling her name, and sat right up. She looked around for any sign of Ammon, but all she could see were her sleeping teammates. She frowned. The very idea that Ammon had abandoned her completely was upsetting and she even took a moment to sob quietly just to get it out of her system.

She sniffled, wiping her eyes as she looked down at the half scarab pendent around her neck, wondering what other sorts of powers it possibly held, when all of a sudden Marlene sat up too.

Annie was a bit startled at first, but quickly calmed down. “You can’t sleep either, Marlene?” She asked quietly.

“I think I dreamed?” Marlene replied. “I don’t remember doing that before?”

“Oh? What did you dream about?” Annie asked then.

“I saw that man again,” Marlene explained. He told me he was sorry I was in so much pain, and then I woke up.”

Annie looked down at the mysterious pendent again and sighed deep, as though she had just made a very difficult decision in her mind. “Here, you should wear this for protection,” Annie suggested, and then placed the Seba around Marlene’s neck.

“But this is yours.” Marlene gasped. “Why don’t you want to keep it?”

Annie frowned. “I don’t think I can keep it safe anymore, but you can. Ammon will protect you.”

“Is that the man’s name?” Marlene asked.

Annie nodded. “He just wants us to keep that necklace from the dark one. He said there is no way he can find it here. I sure hope he’s right.”

“The dark one?” Marlene replied curiously as she felt the amulet between her fingers.

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But far across the galaxy where an ancient mother ship sat in ruin, a single red blinking light flickered within the main control room. There, one of the ship’s occupants, a mysterious man shrouded in the darkness of shadow, seemed to come to life once the light had caught his attention.

“Could it be?” He asked, leaning out of the shadows so that the bright red light illuminated his ancient pale face.

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Elsewhere, William had soon been awakened from the impact of a large bump. And as his eyes shot open and he frantically skimmed his surroundings, he realized he was sitting in the passenger seat of a large supply truck with Stan as the driver.

The android had restored its human guise completely, as though to continue the pretend existence it had become accustomed to for so long. William only saw disgust and betrayal when he looked at him now, and the feeling wasn’t lost on Stan either. He knew how his former friend felt about his true identity, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on such matters. They would need to find some place to take shelter, and hopefully search for more of their people.

There was another sudden bump, which turned William’s attention to the view of rough, icy terrain barely visible through the large fogged up windshield, as its wipers worked furiously to battle the oncoming ice crystals as they pelted the glass. They appeared to be driving uphill somewhere, but where they were heading god only knew. For now William was just relieved to be out of that desert, and though he knew the android had saved his life he wasn’t about to thank him just yet.

“Where are we?” William finally mustered the courage to ask, as Stan continued steering the big truck up the steep mountain.

“There’s a city somewhere around here,” Stan answered. “Check the glove compartment. There’s a map.”

William felt bewildered by this news and quickly pulled open the glove compartment, pulling out a large map that had been folded up neatly, and carefully unfolded it, spreading it out onto his lap. He immediately noticed the name of a city had been circled with a black pen.

“New Denver City?” He commented. “That’s where we’re headed?”

“There’s a possibility some of our people may have ended up there,” Stan answered. “I figured it was worth looking into.”

But as of that moment, William had a lot more questions for the android.

“Where’d this truck come from?”

“I stole it,” Stan answered point-blank. “It was carrying some kind of fuel source and other supplies. I figured we could use them for ourselves instead.”

Then William’s jaw went slack. “What about the driver? What happened to him?”

Stan began turning the steering wheel all the way to the right as they came around a bend. “I didn’t kill him if that’s what you’re asking. I might not be human but I’m not a monster.”

William had a difficult time believing that.

“Anyway we’re here now,” Stan announced then, parking the truck and killing the engine before stepping out. But as soon as he did he was hit with the strong winds of an oncoming blizzard, and no sign of any city, just a thick blanket of ice and snow all around.

“Where the hell is this city?” William asked as he stepped out then, but not before grabbing a heavy blanket and wrapping it tightly around himself.

Stan gazed down at the frozen ground. There he could detect obvious heat signatures coming from below them.

“Under here.” Stan pointed down at the frozen tundra, which only caused William to shake his head.

“There’s nothing here, Stan. We should get back inside that truck. At least we’ll be sheltered from this cold.”

Stan ignored him and began digging in the snow while William just stood there watching, beginning to wonder if the android hadn’t just gone insane, when Stan suddenly revealed a small opening through the ice and peered down. Now he could see an entire city within it, but with no visible civilians around either. The whole city appeared to be deserted yet all the lights were still on.

“Come look for yourself,” Stan motioned William over with his hand.

“Whatever,” William rolled his eyes before he headed over, just to have a heart attack when he discovered Stan wasn’t bluffing. There really was an entire city hidden under the ice.

“Oh my god!” William’s mouth fell open in shock.

“No time, we need to get down there,” Stan said next, offering William his hand. “We’ll see if any of our people made it here as well.”

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As they jumped down together, they landed right on the rooftop of some building, and William could already feel how much warmer it was down there.

“But what about the supplies?” He asked. “Shouldn’t we go back up for those at least?”

Stan shook his head. “Those were just emergency supplies. I imagine we’ll find a lot more here. Let’s begin our search.”

William agreed, and they climbed down onto the empty sidewalk, where they began to explore this mysterious place which reminded them a lot of Atlantis. For a moment, William was even fooled into believing they were back home when he began picturing places like The Card Shack, or the Petite Café in the spot of unfamiliar buildings of a similar nature. Still, he couldn’t fathom why an entire city like this was completely empty of people, until a sudden thought occurred to him.

“This place was evacuated wasn’t it? Before those aliens attacked it.”

As Stan searched around and saw no signs of life or death, he had no other choice but to confirm his friend’s beliefs.

“It would seem so. Could you imagine the same happening to our home?”

The horrific thought of that only made William frown. “We’d have nowhere else to go. The Tjatey already chased us into space as it is. At that point we would have to find another planet and I don’t think we could.”

Stan suddenly stopped once he came to the front of some kind of convenience store, and pushed open the door causing the bells at the top to jingle.

“Go inside and get yourself something to eat and drink,” he insisted, holding the door open for William.

“Good idea,” William agreed as he hurried inside and began grabbing all kinds of snack foods off the shelves, while Stan on the other hand, began looking around; making sure that alien threat was nowhere to be seen. So far they had only had one run-in with those creatures, but Stan knew they were likely to encounter more.

But while William was busy stuffing his face with snack foods and soda pop, Stan was fixated on some old newspaper headlines which mentioned the Invid invasion. Curiously, he picked up one of the papers and began reading and copying it into his database. For now he wanted to learn everything he possibly could about this planet and the enemy, when a certain word within the text had caught his immediate attention; “ _protoculture_ ” It appeared to be the main reason why this alien threat had invaded this planet in the first place. It was their life force

 _How interesting_ , he thought.

It wasn’t long until William had upset his stomach from eating so quickly, and realized he needed to slow himself down. He then picked up a two liter bottle of ginger ale soda and twisted the cap off, taking a swig from it in order to settle the burning sensation he felt within his tummy.

“The humans apparently stole something called protoculture from these aliens,” Stan explained as he continued reading the paper. “Now they’re here for revenge it seems.”

William took another swallow of ginger ale and then headed over to see what Stan was reading. “That doesn’t explain why that one was chasing you.”

“Perhaps it thought my blood serum was their protoculture?” Stan hypothesized, which in turn only angered William, as he was once again reminded that this man he once called a friend was anything but real. And though he tried, he could not suppress the bitter rage any longer.

“Look, you may have saved my life but that doesn’t change a thing between us!” William growled just then, taking Stan by utter surprise.

“I told you before, I wasn’t given a choice,” Stan replied in his own defense. “I didn’t ask to be created any more than you asked to be born.”

Only William didn’t want to discuss it any further. He was emotionally and physically drained from their long trip, so all he wanted to do was find a nice quiet place to rest.

“Look, you can do whatever you want, but I’m going to find some place to take a nap. So please don’t bother me.”

“Very well,” Stan agreed, even though it was nothing but disheartening seeing the way his former friend now treated him. “I suppose I’ll stay behind here and play lookout.”

“Good. You do that,” William threw over his shoulder with harshness before heading out.

Stan frowned as he watched him leave. He already missed the friendship they once shared, back when William viewed and treated him as if he were human. And now his former friend could hardly stand to be around or even look at him. It was maddening as hell, and Stan had always feared the day it would happen. He just didn’t know it would happen so soon, or that he’d be left so cold and hollow inside; just like a real machine.

Yet despite these foreign feelings he was determined to carry on with his mission of survival, and do what he could to protect them both. For he was finally free to choose his own objective now that Morane wasn’t there to order him around, but just the same he had at least hoped that William could learn to forgive or even trust him again. He’d already gotten them this far, and if it wasn’t for him William would have surely succumbed to the elements or maybe even been killed by one of those aliens for all Stan knew. Or perhaps his friend would have preferred such a fate over being stuck in an abandoned city with him? Only time would tell at this point, and how much of that they had left he didn’t know.

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Not long after William had exited the store, he started heading down the icy sidewalk where he came across another shopping center to his left. He didn’t think much of it at first, being that it was just the display window of a clothing department store; that is until he spotted some mannequins dressed in some very exquisite looking wedding gowns. He stopped and turned towards the window display, gazing at it as though he were daydreaming. Only he wasn’t. Instead, he was remembering how much of a coward he had been when it came to Victoria. And now it seemed as though he would never get the chance to be brave, all because they were lost in this strange world.

Still, he believed she was out there somewhere, but where exactly he couldn’t begin to imagine. He had hoped that wherever she was she was safe and far away from Maxwell. But then like a knife stabbing him in the heart, he began to dread the idea that she could have met another man, and was probably even with him this very moment wrapped tight in his arms, forgetting all about her secret admirer, because he was nothing but a wimp anyways. That knife was twisting now.

And seeing his bitter reflection in the window only served to remind him that it would be his own fault if such a thing did happen. He soon felt anxious, and all these negative thoughts began to drive him crazy again, to the point he needed to get away, and so he kept walking until he reached the main entrance of the shopping center, pulled open the door and walked in.

There, he could see some actual beds and other furniture on display across from the clothing department. And while he fancied the idea of collapsing onto a nice firm mattress, he decided to go with a comfy recliner instead.

He came across a nice big red leather one which seemed the most inviting, and the moment he sat down and put his feet up, he knew it was only a matter of time before he fell asleep. It was the most comfortable he’d felt in a long while, and he wanted nothing more than to savor the moment and silence all those negative thoughts as well. No more picturing Victoria in the arms of another man, or even thinking about how one of his best friends turned out to be a damn robot. He would close his eyes and sleep, as there was no telling how long they would have to stay here. Hopefully not for the rest of their days or else he might just off himself the first chance he gets. But exactly how he would go about doing it was another question; So much for ridding himself of negative thoughts after all.

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Stan meanwhile, had finished collecting as much data as he could on this new world, and then headed back up above ground where the truck was. The harsh winds of the blizzard raged on, leaving the android unaffected as it lifted up the back door of the cab, and began rummaging through the assortment of items, stopping once it spotted these crates filled with canisters marked HBT.

Curiously, he picked one up as though to examine it, while wondering just what the contents were inside, when all of a sudden he detected a mechanical sound coming from somewhere outside.

After setting the can back down, he turned back around and headed over to peer outside the back of the truck, scanning for any signs of this new enemy. And there flying overhead, was one of those creatures again, barely making it through the brutal ice storm itself as it was rocked by the fierce winds which blew at it from every direction.

Stan observed it until it was no longer in his line of sight, and then he headed back to where he’d set that canister down and picked it up again. _What is this stuff?_ He wondered now. _And where was this truck making its next delivery to?_ So many questions and so little answers it seemed.

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Meanwhile, Brian had been curled up asleep on the dirt floor of their hideout in the old subway tunnel, when Justin soon returned and with something else too.

The sounds of Justin’s footfalls then awakened Brian, and as he opened his eyes he could then see Justin knelt down on the ground in front of some kind of heating source.

Brian sat up and rubbed his eyes, seeing that the open flame Justin had been knelt over was not their makeshift campfire from last night, but something else; a miniature looking Bunsen burner.

“What are you doing?” Brian yawned, trying to wake up completely.

Justin then placed a small beaker filled with some dark green fluid atop the burner and then increased the heat.

“While you were still snoozing I took the liberty of sneaking back out there while the coast was clear. I went and collected a blood sample from our dead friend.

Brian blinked with confusion as he went to light a cigarette. “Why? What’s the point of that? We know they bleed, isn’t that enough?”

Then as Justin continued heating the Invid blood sample, he noticed a very strange reaction taking place. “If I only had a microscope.” He sighed with disappointment as he continued observing the sample, which was bubbling in a very peculiar manner.

“There’s something very strange happening here,” Justin mentioned as he stupidly leaned in for a closer look, when all of a sudden the Bunsen burner sparked, causing Justin to jerk his head away.

“Whoa!” Justin hollered jumping back, when the next thing he knew, the Bunsen burner, sample and all then exploded into several pieces that littered the ground around them.

Both Brian and Justin had dove out of harm’s way, and were utterly speechless over what had just occurred.

“What was that?” Brian then asked, wide eyed and stunned as his cigarette hung out of his mouth.

“I-I don’t know,” Justin stammered in awe. “But there is something very extraordinary about their blood. It almost reacted like some kind of rich fuel source.”

“So like oil then?” Brian commented, taking a drag of his cigarette.

“Rocket fuel,” Justin marveled with an amused chuckle. “I need to collect more of the stuff, but the only issue is its morning now, so those things might already be back in the area looking for us.”

Brian groaned as he puffed on his cigarette. “Are they ever going to give up?”

Justin was just about to answer him, when all of sudden they both heard a loud blast coming from outside. Both of the young men then sprang to their feet in fear.

There was another brief moment of silence when they heard yet another blast, and this time it sounded a lot closer, causing the ground beneath their feet to quake.

Justin turned to Brian, holding a finger to his own lips as he began quietly making his way towards the entrance.

There were a few more blasts that followed, causing the tunnel to rumble once again as Brian lowered himself back to the ground and went back to finishing his cigarette.

Once Justin had made it to the entrance and carefully peered out, he could definitely see those Invid shock troopers scouring the area, firing blindly in their direction as though they were still unsure of where their target was located.

_How would they know we’re still here? Justin wondered then as he observed them from a safe distance. It’s not like we’ve advertised to the world where we’ve been hiding, but somehow they know we’re still in this area._

The firing soon ceased and the Invid shock troopers had appeared to lose interest and began retreating from the area once more, as though they had been mistaken.

Once all seemed clear again, Justin headed back to where Brian was in order to share his findings.

Brian was already on cigarette number two when Justin returned and sat back down.

“So what’d you see?” Brian asked.

“They know we’re here somewhere,” Justin answered. “They were firing those cannons of theirs around this area, so they know we’re here, just not our exact whereabouts.”

Then a sudden thought dawned on Brian. “They’ve never done that before. Firing like that I mean. Before that, they were always searching around here, but never firing a single blast from their weapons. We must have done something in here to alert them of our presence.”

Justin thought about that as well, realizing Brian might be on to something. “Well if that’s the case then what could it be? Couldn’t be the food we were eating, nor our campfire, we’ve had that for—

Justin paused again as his eyes widened. “The blood!” He snapped his fingers. “That’s got to be it!”

“Yeah those blasts came right after your little mishap with the Bunsen burner,” Brian reaffirmed, looking down at all the pieces which were scattered all over the tunnel floor. “They must have picked up on it somehow.”

Justin’s face then lit up as though he had a bright idea. “We could use this to our advantage!”

Brian couldn’t help but shake his head. “No, come on now, use your head. Did you not just hear what happened out there? They’re pissed and they’re getting closer and closer to finding us in here.”

“The bomb,” Justin reminded him. “We could use their own blood as bait, and lure them into our deathtrap in the record store.”

“Wait a minute,” Brian stopped him. “I thought you said we weren’t going through with that because you were way in over your head?”

Justin huffed in annoyance. “Well I was against it because I wasn’t so sure how we’d be able to lure them there in the first place. But now we have our answer to that solution and we’d be stupid not to go through with it.”

“You’re such a soldier,” Brian quipped, shaking his head. “So it must be true that you’re all obsessed with fighting, even fights that aren’t your own.”

Justin scowled at Brian. “ _This_ is our fight now. Just look at us! We’ve been stuck living inside here for days, and all because we can’t escape these things that have been on our ass since day one! We have to fight them, Brian, or else we’re just going to end up dead like so many others in this world!”

Hearing his words reminded Brian of the family photo he’d seen when they first arrived. They hadn’t lived in this world for very long yet they could still feel the effects of the devastation these aliens had left in their wake. And as much as Brian hated to admit it Justin was right. This was their fight now.

“Okay you’ve got a point,” Brian sighed then, knowing he would regret this one day. “But if I’m going to help you then we’re going to do things my way, and wait till dark to collect more of that blood. We don’t want to risk being seen by those things in the daylight, we’ll only lead them right to us.”

“Fine I can agree to that,” Justin nodded.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

William was still fast sleep, resting as comfortably as one could in a department store recliner, until a booming voice soon awoke him.

“Wake up!” The voice demanded, causing William’s eyes to snap right open, putting him on high alert.

“Huh, w-what?” He sat up, looking around frantically, until his eyes focused on the tall entity standing over him.

He was immediately filled with anger. “I wanted to get away from you. How’d you find me?”

Stan didn’t appear to be in the mood for arguing. “I located you via your heat signature. Same method I used in locating this city under the ice.”

Then William noticed the strange canister in Stan’s left hand, and pointed at it curiously. “What’s that?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out for myself,” Stan answered. “That truck was carrying quite the supply of them, but to where I’m uncertain. All I know is they must hold some kind of value in this world.”

William scoffed. “And what has that even got to do with us?”

“Perhaps it’s something we could also utilize?” Stan surmised then. “Wouldn’t you at least like to know?”

“No,” William answered curtly, and then lay back down, turning his back to the android. “You can find out for yourself I don’t give a damn what you do.”

Stan sighed with disappointment, feeling more and more human each time his former friend shot him down. It seemed there really was no way to repair their broken friendship, but he was still willing to try.

“I apologize. It was not my intention to interrupt your sleep. I merely wanted to check on you.”

Hearing the heaviness in Stan’s voice only caused William to groan. “What do you even want from me? You’re not the person I thought you were. Everything, all of it was a lie, and still you expect me to just be okay with it, pretend it never happened, why?”

“Because android or not I’m still your friend,” Stan said firmly much to William’s surprise. “There were times I could have killed you or turned on you in some way, but I didn’t. I was loyal to you and Justin, even when I didn’t have to be. So no, not everything was a lie. And I know things could never be the same between us. I’d never ask you to pretend it never happened because it did. But all I could ask is for you to give me a chance to show you I’m still that same entity underneath it all. If I was truly bad don’t you think I would have just abandoned you in that desert, or even killed you to get you out of my way?”

Hearing this, William shut his eyes and uttered a heavy sigh, and when he opened them back up they were now full of tears. It was hard to believe, but listening to Stan talk like this was nothing but heartbreaking, and William couldn’t deny that he also hated what had become of them both. Suddenly he sat back up and looked at his former friend with a face full of guilt.

“I’m sorry, Stan,” He managed to force out remorsefully, as tears ran down the sides of his face. “I really am sorry.”

Stan managed a thin smile as he looked back at him.

“I know you didn’t have to save my life back there,” William continued, sniffling. “But I want you to know I’m thankful that you did.”

Stan’s features softened. “I can’t begin to understand everything there is to humanity, but what I do know is that there are certain aspects to it I do admire, even envy to some extent. But my only objection for now is to find out what we’re dealing with, and how to find others from our city. I don’t believe we’re the only ones who ended up in this world, as I recall an image of a flash of light spreading throughout the entire planetoid.” Then he paused, looking as though he were lost in deep thought. “Even now as I replay that final memory over and over I can see that it took us all.”

William suddenly leapt up from the recliner with anxiousness.

“You recorded what happened to us?” He asked, bewildered.

Stan nodded. “Everything I experience is recorded as a memory file.”

“When you go over that data, can you see any details, such as where that light possibly originated from?” William wondered next.

Stan narrowed his eyes as he thought it over. “I never thought to do that before but I suppose I could try to figure it out. Hold on , let me see.” He then closed his eyes in order to concentrate.

William looked on, nervously waiting.

The android appeared almost frozen as it stood there studying the images in its mind, using all the data it had on file in order to figure out the light’s exact origin. Accessing the city’s map, he laid it over the image file as he zoomed in on one particular building, which he found surprising. It was the city mausoleum from what his data was telling him.

“It looks to have come from the mausoleum,” Stan answered a moment later, after going over it all in his mind, wanting to be certain it was accurate.

William’s eyes widened with shock. “The mausoleum?” He repeated incredulously. “But what’s even there that could cause something like this in the first place?”

“I’m not sure,” Stan replied. “All your dead are buried there. Was something else perhaps buried there as well? Something with this kind of ability?”

William shook his head. “No I don’t think so. Are you absolutely sure that’s where it came from? Has your data ever been wrong?”

“No it hasn’t,” Stan answered truthfully. “The mausoleum is in fact the light’s point of origin, now all we have to do is figure out what might possibly be hidden away there. My sources tell me it can’t be human.”

“Then it must be of Tjatey origin,” William sighed, running his hand down his face. “They would be the only ones with that kind of power, whatever it is. But why send us here? That’s what I can’t figure out, can you?”

Stan went over the details one final time, and then shook his head. “Maybe something within the mausoleum was somehow connected to something else here?”

And then an unexpected image suddenly flashed through William’s mind, leaving him even more flabbergasted. “Ammon?” He said aloud as he recognized the face he was seeing.

 _You are my blood, therefore you are me_ , Ammon spoke as though he were standing right before William now, and that’s when he suddenly recalled the dream he’d had earlier, before Stan came to wake him.

“What is it?” Stan raised his chin.

“The dream I had earlier,” William replied. “Ammon was there and he kept talking about this boy who walks between two worlds.” He scratched his head, trying to figure out what that possibly meant. “The boy who walks between two worlds…….

Stan’s eyes lit up. “It sounds like he was referring to you, doesn’t it? Two worlds, here and home. You’re what, his nephew?”

“Grandson,” William corrected him. “My mother was his only daughter.”

“But still it’s you,” Stan continued with his conviction. “You’re the key to getting back home. That’s what he was trying to tell you.”

William shrugged. “Well we don’t know for sure, and who knows what that dream was about? It could mean any th—

“Wait, what’s that?” Stan suddenly pointed out at something on the seat of the recliner, and then moved closer for a better look.

“Was this something you picked out for Victoria?” Stan now asked, holding the piece of shimmering gold jewelry out in the palm of his hand for William to see as well.

William shot him a look of confusion. “No, I didn’t even notice that thing was in the chair with me.”

“It’s only half, whatever it is, and it appears to be made of one-hundred percent real gold as well. Here, you take it.” Stan then handed it over to his friend.

As William accepted and looked it over himself, he was almost certain he felt some kind of connection with it, but what exactly it was he couldn’t begin to understand. “I think I’ll just put it away for safe keeping for now.” He then placed it inside the left pocket of his uniform and then looked back up at Stan, who nodded in approval.

“As for myself I’m going to do a little scouting around this city. See if I can possibly find out more about the history of this place as well as what this HBT is and if it may be useful to us in anyway.”

“I’ll join you,” William announced then, taking the android by utter surprise. He even managed a half smile.

“I’ve got nothing better to do anyway.”

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

That following day, the situation couldn’t have gotten any worse for Scott and his team as they found themselves stranded in the middle of a desert, hiding out inside a cave while a vicious sandstorm raged on outside. They were all very tired and thirsty since they had completely run out of water, and were now at each other’s throats, except for, Rook, Annie, and Victoria who wanted no part in the bickering, as well as Marlene who was feeling very weak from dehydration, lying in her sleeping bag on the ground in attempt to recuperate.

Apparently it had been Lunk’s fault they had lost the last of their water, after the jerry cans had been shot up during an attack from the Invid, and now he was getting a good verbal beating from the others. Even Maxwell had joined in on the verbal assault, mostly because he loathed that big man as it was and liked the idea of putting him in his place.

Victoria rolled her eyes as she stood against the cave wall, lighting a cigarette, when she heard Marlene groan and looked in her direction. From what she could tell, the pink haired woman was barely hanging on, looking as though she would pass out from the exhaustion at any moment. And while Victoria felt sorry for her, she was also relieved that there weren’t any Invid around outside, or else they’d have much bigger problems.

 _Sorry dear, but I’m afraid I can’t help you there_ , Victoria sighed hopelessly.

She couldn’t believe how crowded it was inside this cave, or even how her teammates managed to fit all their mecha inside as well. It was certainly a mystery.

Suddenly Victoria heard a loud cough, and turned the other way to see Rook waving the cigarette smoke away from her face, scowling.

“Do you think you can wait until we get out of here to do that?” Rook scolded her.

“Sorry,” Victoria apologized sheepishly as she stubbed the cigarette out against the cave wall. “I didn’t realize this was the non-smoking section.”

Rook shook her head at her. “Please, I’m not in the mood to argue with you.”

Victoria sighed again. “I really am sorry, and you’re the last person I’d want to start a fight with. Believe it or not, you have my utmost respect. How’d you even end up with these guys?” She gestured over where Scott, Lancer, and Rand were standing.

“Long story,” Rook answered, sounding rather humbled by Victoria’s compliments.

“I’ll tell you what, next town we find I’m buying you a drink,” Victoria smiled at her. “Us girls deserve time away from the guys anyway. Then you can tell me your story.”

Rook seemed a little more at ease now and even agreed to take Miss Thompson up on her offer once they got out of there.

For what seemed like a pleasant bonding moment between the two women, was soon interrupted once Marlene cried out, startling just about everyone. And much to their surprise, Rand hurried over to her side, holding something in his hand as he knelt down and squeezed some type of moisture into her mouth. As it turned out, the object in his hand was a twisted off piece of cactus flesh.

After drinking the cactus water, Marlene appeared to feel a little better, and while he was busy smiling back at the tired woman, everyone else was looking at him accusingly, as though he’d done something they didn’t approve of, but of course that wasn’t the case. Rather, they were furious over not knowing there was water in the cacti, and decided to blame Rand for not telling them.

“A guy just can’t win around you people, can he!?” Rand fired back, taking a defensive stance. “I guess I just assumed you weren’t so dumb you’d just die of dehydration when there’s cactus all around out there!”

Everyone was silent now as Rand started off for the cave’s entrance, preparing to head back out, when he stopped and turned towards them all. “Did you see me holding out? No! I gave what I had to Marlene, or are you all blind?”

“Rand, wait!” Rook called after him, sounding rather alarmed.

“You want cactus, you’ll get it!” Rand shouted angrily before storming out, leaving everyone else behind.

Rook frowned, wishing she could have gone with him, but she knew he was mad and probably preferred to be alone. She sighed and headed back to her spot against the wall next to Victoria.

“That young man is sure a foolish one going out there on his own,” Victoria remarked, trying to make Rook feel better.

“Foolish.” Rook repeated then. “He could get killed out there. I should have gone with him.”

“All of us should have,” Victoria replied. “After all, we are a team, right?”

Saying that word felt almost foreign to her, but she liked the sound of that as it was something she’d never been a part of before. Best of all, it made her feel good inside.

“You’re right.” Rook agreed with her before she went back to sulking.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Meanwhile outside, Rand had pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and his goggles down over his eyes, so that he could see better through the storm. He also counted his steps in order to prevent himself from getting lost, even though he knew there was still a big possibility of that happening anyway, especially with as violent as the winds were as they whipped about him. Even with his goggles it was damn near impossible to see where he was going and even considered the idea of heading back and waiting till the storm passed. But then he remembered his friends were all counting on him and he didn’t want to let them down. And so he pushed on.

Only, he’d barely gotten thirty yards when he suddenly tripped and fell down into a sand pit, scraping his head and knocking the wind out of him completely.

Back inside the cave, Marlene’s eyes suddenly opened wide while the others were chatting and didn’t notice, or hear her soft voice as she cried out, “Rand!”

But the young forager was completely unconscious as of now; unaware that he was not alone, when the soft patter of footsteps had awakened him. Only he was not awake, but instead in some kind of dream like state or another dimension for all he knew, and there before him stood Ammon himself, the mysterious ghostly figure that had been haunting Annie ever since they escaped that genesis pit full of prehistoric monsters.

And down beside Ammon’s boots, was a garden of pink flowers; the Invid flower of life. Rand couldn’t begin to understand what was happening in that moment, and neither did he speak.

“All this time you’ve doubted my existence,” Ammon spoke then as he knelt down and plucked one of the flowers from its stem, and held it out inside the palm of his hand, as though to show it off. “Beautiful isn’t it?” He said, before taking and crushing the flower inside his fist.

Rand’s eyes widened as he watched the dust scatter from Ammon’s hand.

“Don’t be afraid of me, Rand. I mean you no harm.”

It was then that Rand suddenly realized he could speak and even move within this dream-like state.

“W-what do you want with me?” Rand asked, sitting up. “And also how do we find the other piece of your necklace? Did it also end up here?”

Ammon gave a pleasant smile in return, his piercing blue eyes looking right through him.

“ _Sebayet,_ ” He spoke in some ancient tongue, which sounded a lot like a Middle Eastern accent to Rand’s ears. “There is a lesson to be learned. But I am not your enemy.”

Rand shot him a confused look. “Hey what language was that?”

“Tjatey,” Ammon answered him. “The language of my people.”

Rand couldn’t believe his own ears. Everything he’d been told by Annie had been true, even what he’d heard from Victoria and Maxwell as well.

“ _Tjen kheftey Invid,_ ” Ammon said, immediately catching Rand’s attention as he recognized that last word.

“Wait a minute, you said Invid,” Rand pointed out. “What were those other words before it?”

Ammon then rose back up, his gold rectangular earrings glistening as the light of the sun reflected off of them as the sandstorm died down.

“I said your enemy is the Invid.”

Rand scoffed in return. “You think we don’t already know that one? You know for someone who’s supposed to be some kind of wise ancient being you’re not very bright. Now again, how do we find the missing piece of Annie’s necklace? Is it even here?”

Ammon nodded. “As I said before, there is a lesson to be learned from this.”

Rand groaned. “But where is it? How can we find the darn thing if we don’t even know where to begin looking? You gotta help us out at least!”

“ _Iew sheta,_ ” Ammon replied. “It is but a secret, and you shall find it once the time is right. I have been watching over you and your friends. In my physical form I was to be a protector, but my death has not changed that fact. I am still a protector, and I have saved you.” Ammon gestured towards the blood that was now dripping down the side of Rand’s head.

Then as Rand reached up to touch it, he couldn’t believe it.

“Well in that case, thanks for saving me,” Rand responded rather gratefully, as his eyes were glued to the blood on his fingers. “I came out here to gather cactuses for my friends, but I guess I didn’t get very far huh?” He looked up at Ammon who turned away.

“So can that ancient necklace stop the Invid too if we use it?” Rand had to ask next. “Maybe send them off into another universe?”

“I’m afraid it is not so simple,” Ammon answered, turning back to him. “Do you wish your suffering on someone else?”

Rand furrowed his brow. “What? No! What makes you say that?”

“You wish to send your enemy into another universe, thereby you are wishing your suffering on others,” Ammon explained, stating the obvious. “Would you want them to send their enemy to you instead?”

Rand couldn’t help but feel like a jackass now. “No I wouldn’t,” He sighed with disappointment.

“Then you do see,” Ammon stated, offering Rand his hand as though to help him off the ground. “Your journey is not over yet. The key is here.”

“Huh? Where?” Rand replied quizzically as he accepted the man’s hand, feeling himself come back to life, when he was suddenly back inside his own body, being carried back towards the cave by Rook. But before she’d even gotten him back inside he heard Ammon’s disembodied voice say the words, _“The boy who walks between two worlds.”_

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

The moment Rook had set Rand down he immediately came to, and then began rambling on about what he had just experienced.

“I finally saw him, Annie! I saw Ammon!”

Annie couldn’t believe it. “You did?” She gasped. “What did he say?”

This only caused Rook to cross her arms and turn away in annoyance. She was sick and tired of hearing about that mysterious ghost man and his stupid necklace. But on the other hand, Scott, Lunk, and Lancer seemed intrigued, as though they had forgotten how mad they were at Rand just a while ago.

“Well, first of all he saved my life,” Rand explained. “Second, he admitted that the other half of your necklace is here somewhere. We just have to find it.”

Shame clouded Annie’s face just then. “I don’t have it anymore, I gave it to Marlene. She said she saw him too, so I thought it would be better if she kept it.”

“I suppose that’s good news,” Scott stated, when all of sudden they heard a loud hysterical scream coming from outside of the cave, causing everyone but Marlene to panic and rush out to see what was wrong.

There, knelt down on the ground was Victoria sobbing and holding what appeared to be a green apron covered in sand. Annie was the first to hurry over to her side.

“What’s wrong?” Annie asked worriedly.

With her eyes full of tears, Victoria looked up at her and then back down at the apron, which also appeared to have a fake golden name-tag on it, shaped like a winning hand of cards. She gently caressed it with her hand as she answered back, “Enrique. This is his.” Her voice was hoarse and dry.

Annie’s mouth hung open, and the others appeared just as saddened by this news, all of them but Maxwell of course, who seemed rather happy the young bartender had bitten the dust, or in his case _the_ _sand_.

“I’m very sorry,” Scott said somberly as he looked back at her. He didn’t want to say anything else just yet in case he was wrong, but he knew there was still a possibility that her friend could have made it out of there. Yet, seeing that desolate expression on her face told him that she’d already lost all hope. _Poor woman_ , he thought.

Annie then threw her arms around Victoria’s neck and hugged her tightly as she cried.

Even Rand felt a little depressed now, and knew it wasn’t the time to remind everyone about his dream he had of the mysterious Ammon. For now they would all share a moment of silence for the loss of Victoria’s good friend Enrique, and then continue on their journey, wherever it would take them next.

* * *


	7. Sinners and Saints

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morane is found and rescued by another man, who claims to be a forager in this world and wants to help take Morane back to the city he says he's come from. (Too bad it isn't Atlantis) Meanwhile, Justin and Brian make their final plans for their attack on the Invid, and Stan and William make new plans of their own.
> 
> Elsewhere, Scott and his team end up stuck in some kind of amazon jungle, where they need to come up with plans on how to escape without using up the last of their protoculture. Still trying to cope with her loss, Victoria isolates herself but finds that her new friends are determined to help no matter what. This in turn, leads to her confessing the mother of all truths which only causes further conflict within the group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My husband always liked my cast of characters, but I know he found Stan and Morane to be the most interesting since those were the two he commented about the most. I assume it was Morane's unpredictability that makes him fascinating, with the way he could be grinning and laughing with you one minute, then the next shanking you with his knife all the while still grinning. It makes him scary and a real threat to anyone that has their guard down. 
> 
> Stan is only scary because of his brute strength and inability to know what hes doing is wrong. It isn't until he forms a strong bond with William that he begins to understand morality better. It also probably has a lot to do with getting away from the psychopaths that control him and being able to experience life from a different point of view.
> 
> As a machine hes always learning but also adapting and growing. His friends have instilled good values in him which often conflicts with the lack of morality Morane expects from him. But it isn't until Stan truly gets away from Morane (such as in this story) that he experiences true freedom. I think the same could be said for all those characters. They all left behind a world that had a lot of rules and regulations, and while the circumstances might suck, such as having to deal with the Invid for example, they still see they are better off. Not all of them feel that way but many sure do. 
> 
> This chapter has gone through many re-writes because I was trying to find the right mood. And I think after this final time, I hit my mark. The only problem was knowing where to end it. This chapter is also very heavy on the emotion and drama, but it needed to be.

Morane had been lost for what seemed like days now as he walked this new wilderness alone. Three or four nights it had been so far, but in reality he didn’t know. The woods had seemed to go on forever and he was lucky if he came across any wild berry bushes or small game to hunt. He’d already used his knife to kill a baby rabbit he’d caught and roasted over a man-made fire he’d made using his lighter. At least he had a few basic tools needed to make it out here. But constantly having to sleep on the dirt or up against trees had grown old very fast. Was this his eternal punishment for all his sins? It might as well have been.

Still, it was his good memories that had kept him going as well as the memory of that symphony as he kept humming it whenever he needed a mental place of solace. He hummed it as he walked, as he gazed up at the stars at night, and even as he stared listlessly into the light of his own campfire. Thoughts drifted back to his one and only love, and he wondered if he might be nearing closer to the day when he’d see her again, but only if she would allow it. He wasn’t sure if he was going straight to hell or if he already was there. But with the total absence of any other people around he had to wonder if this was it; eternal damnation.

With his lids heavy, he leaned his head back against the trunk of a large tree and began to doze off. The sounds of crickets filled his ears; the kind of white noise he’d been looking for in order to help him sleep, but then something else followed, footsteps and a voice.

“Hey, are you all right?”

Overcome with extreme exhaustion, Morane could barely focus his eyes long enough to make out the silhouette of another person standing over him. And soon after, the darkness took him. Whether or not he had just died, he’d find out soon enough once he arrived at those pearly gates in the sky, just to be rejected and forced down below. It was then that another sound had awakened him much later on; the snaps and crackling of a campfire.

“W-where am I?” Morane groggily asked as his eyes fluttered open. At long last he could see a lot better, and now he saw another man, maybe a few decades younger than himself, sitting beside a cozy fire, looking to be sipping something from a mug.

“How long was I out?” Morane asked.

“Couple hours at least,” the man answered. He was dressed in some tattered looking clothing from what Morane could see; a faded brown jacket and a pair of tattered blue-jeans. What this man was even doing out here was the next question Morane wanted to know.

“Who are you and what are you doing out here?”

“Name’s Gerald, and I’m a forager. You kinda have to be these days since the Invid took over the planet. What about you?”

Morane didn’t have a single clue as to what this man was talking about. A forager? It almost made him sound like some kind of animal; how beneath him.

“I’m from the city,” Morane answered tiredly after a brief pause of thinking things over in his mind. He wasn’t exactly sure what had happened or where he’d ended up. The man had mentioned the word _planet_ but he also didn’t specify which one.

“Here, have some hot soup,” the man then offered Morane a spare mug filled with a beef flavored broth. Morane gladly accepted, and didn’t even bother to wait until it had cooled down to begin sipping it. He needed that nourishment just to get back on his feet and moving again.

“When I came across you here in the woods, you looked like you were barely hanging on. Something happen to you?”

Morane avoided any eye contact as he continued drinking up his soup. “Why didn’t you just leave me then?” He paused and asked.

The man seemed bewildered by such a desolate sounding answer. “Are you telling me you didn’t want to be saved? Is that it?”

Morane ignored his question and proceeded to change the subject. “You mentioned something had taken over the planet here? What is it?”

This too appeared to puzzle the man as he looked back at Morane with an incredulous look in his eyes. “You mean, you don’t know? Have you been living under a rock this whole time or what?”

No answer.

“It’s the Invid. They’ve taken over Earth. Don’t you remember the previous wars before this? The Robotech Masters and the Zentraedi?”

Morane just about shook his head, when he realized there was probably no way in hell this man would believe him if he told him he wasn’t from this planet at all, and so he did the only thing he was best at, he lied.

“Yes, I do remember now,” Morane replied a moment later. “Awful wasn’t it?”

The man agreed as he drank his soup. “My father was a fighter pilot in the first Robotech war. You look close to his age.”

Unsurprisingly, that little comment had offended Morane quite a bit.

“How old are you?”

Frustration filled his face as he lifted the mug to his lips once again. “Sixty,” Morane muttered belligerently, now struggling to maintain his civility.

“How’d you end up out here?”

A sudden wave of memories flashed through Morane’s mind before he answered. “I was running for mayor, then I was kidnapped, taken out here and nearly beaten to death.”

The man had nothing but sympathy written on his face as he listened. “Well that explains your suit, sorry to hear that. Which city by the way? The closest one from here is Mannatan.”

“That’s the one,” Morane answered with a thin smile. “My wife is there waiting for me. I’m trying to get back to her now.”

“Yeah I noticed your wedding band there,” “the man pointed out then. “What’s her name?”

“Marjory,” Morane answered adoringly. “She’s a good woman, the best there ever was.” He’d even managed to make himself cry a little, but they were in fact real tears; tears of his never ending grief that haunted him deep inside.

Finishing his soup, the man set the mug down and then picked up a bottle of beer, offering Morane one as well. “As you can see my scavenging trip paid off today.”

Morane uttered a low chuckle as he accepted the bottle, and happily twisted the cap off and took his first drink. Too bad it was warm. “You’re a good man, Gerald,” he said then, finally looking the man in his dark eyes. “Probably too good for this world.”

The man smiled appreciatively in response, taking a swig from his own bottle. “I’m going to help you get back to the city,” he said, holding the bottle in his lap. “We just have to watch out for the Invid is all. But since we’re both unarmed, it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“Unarmed?” Morane replied with utter disbelief. “Why? Aren’t the humans fighting back?”

Gerald shook his head. “Some have tried but its only gotten them killed. We’re all doomed I’m afraid.”

Hearing this filled Morane with nothing but disgust for this man as well as the rest of the people on this planet. What the fuck was wrong with them? _What a pathetic bunch of useless shits_ , he thought callously.

“The Invid control all the cities and towns as well,” Gerald added, further cementing Morane’s disgust with him and the rest. “So you’d only be serving them if you got elected.”

Morane’s lips drew back into a snarl at the sound of that. “I will serve _no one_.”

“I admire your courage, friend,” Gerald commended him. “You’re exactly the kind of leader this planet needs.”

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Brian and Justin had waited for the cover of nightfall to make their next move. The plan was simple; to collect as many samples of that alien blood as they could, and then get back inside their hideaway and start working out the details on how exactly to utilize the record store, as well as the construction of their bomb. But of course, Brian had decided to leave all the technical work to Justin since he was the sole brains of this whole operation.

In Brian’s mind it sounded insane, but he too had become desperate enough to fight back against these aliens with whatever they could find. And with everything they had been through within the last week, Brian fully trusted Justin, and had nothing but confidence that they could pull this off somehow. Still, there was the fear of whether or not such a drastic action against these things would only attract more of them.

“That’s fine we’ll just get them too,” Justin said with reassurance, as they collected their samples and headed back to their shelter to cook their dinner.

Brian already had their makeshift stove cooking a pot of canned clam chowder when Justin returned. He also couldn’t help not notice how quiet it was outside. He hated to admit, but he kind of missed the sound of people.

“Notice how there hasn’t been any search parties around here?” Brian mentioned as he stirred the soup. He felt grateful that Justin had even gone back to that store and grabbed some cooking utensils, just so they would feel more at home in this dump. They had even lucked out and scavenged some blankets and sleeping bags from some of the abandoned houses.

“Yeah I noticed that too,” Justin replied as he placed the capped vials of samples into one of the buckets, when a thought suddenly occurred to him. “You know, I have to wonder about something?”

“What’s that?” Brian raised his chin.

“Those blood samples we picked up. Don’t you find it strange that the blood wasn’t at all coagulated?”

“What are you getting at?” Brian asked, not having a single clue what that word meant.

“Blood from any living organism coagulates when exposed to open air over a certain period of time,” Justin explained to his pea-brained friend. “Yet this stuff has remained in a liquid state, with hardly any visible changes. So what I’m thinking now is, what if it’s not blood but something else?”

Now he’d lost Brian again.

“What else could it be?” Brian asked, as he began pouring the hot soup back into the cans they originated from, and then passed one over to Justin.

“Well, what if this stuff is some kind of fuel source?” Justin theorized as he began to drink his soup. “Hmm, not bad,” he then wiped the residue from his mouth using the sleeve of his uniform. “But as I was saying before, maybe this stuff is what those aliens use to power their machines?”

“Then how do they detect it?” Brian asked as he sipped from his own can, relieved it wasn’t split pea soup again.

“That’s what I’m still trying to piece together,” Justin sighed, and took another sip of his soup. “Us humans can’t detect any substance without tools or some kind of technology, so maybe it’s the same for them? Perhaps they have some kind of device that can detect that stuff specifically. Your guess is as good as mine?”

Brian scoffed. “Or maybe they can smell it like sharks can smell blood?”

Justin shot him a ridiculous look. “Seriously?”

“Face it we, we don’t have a damn clue about these things,” Brian said, finishing his soup and then pulled out his pack of cigarettes to light one. “It’s kind of like when people first came across dinosaur bones. All they could do was piece together what they believed those things were like, never really knowing until later. Just like all we have to go by is that dead one out there. We can excavate what’s left of it, but we’ll never truly figure things out. Unless you plan on catching a live specimen? In that case, good luck with that.”

Justin only felt annoyed now.

“I just want to find a way to get back home,” he sighed sadly. “I miss it so much you have no idea.”

“I miss it too,” Brian agreed, taking a long drag from his cigarette.

“I’d like to see my friends again too,” Justin added, now wiping tears from his eyes. He couldn’t believe he was actually crying, and neither could Brian.

“I guess you just have to hold on to hope,” Brian replied despondently. “Even though I don’t even know the meaning of that word anymore.”

Justin sighed bitterly and frowned. “Me either. It reminds me of back when we first saw that strange light. There was an old lady who believed it was the second coming of our lord, that he’d come to save us all.”

“Yeah I remember hearing her too,” Brian mentioned. “I guess this is how he chose to save us in the end, huh? Collect us all and drop us into this hellhole of a planet to see how long we can last?”

Justin groaned as he wiped his eyes once again. “When you put it like that it almost sounds like some kind of game doesn’t it? Maybe the man of the universe is toying with us?”

“Well in that case, screw him!” Brian spat madly as he pounded a fist on the ground. “We’ll save ourselves and find a way to get back home. We aren’t trapped here forever, I don’t believe that. There has to be a way to reverse this.”

Only Justin didn’t look so certain. “I really hope you’re right,” he sighed tiredly, setting down his empty soup can before drying his eyes with the sleeve of his dirtied uniform. “Cause I’m really sick of living like a bum. And I’m sure you are too.”

“I am,” Brian nodded, taking a drag of his cigarette while he stared off into nothingness. “But I’m glad it’s not just me that’s trapped here, otherwise I’d be screwed.”

“Yeah, same here,” Justin agreed. “I’m glad it’s not just me either, although I could do without the whole cigarette smell in here stinking up the joint.” He wafted away the smoke with his hands. “This whole tunnel now reeks of tobacco thanks to you.”

Brian stifled a laugh as he apologized. “Sorry.”

“Its fine,” Justin grumbled. “I’d rather smell nicotine than that alien carcass out there any day. But tomorrow we gotta start preparations for this thing before I change my mind and wuss out again. And I’m gonna need you to push me a little too,” his voice now took on a much more serious tone as he looked at Brian. “Don’t allow me to second guess myself, got it?”

Brian nodded in agreement. “Got it.”

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

However, Brian and Justin weren’t the only ones affected by sadness, as Scott and his team all seemed to be dealing with their own case of the blues after escaping the desert a day later. They were pursued by the Invid as usual, only there weren’t too many to deal with which made for a short battle before the team sought refuge in some kind of jungle valley with a pink shell like translucent covering which seemed to stretch over hundreds of square miles. The irregular openings within it had been large enough that their veritechs could fly in and out without any trouble at all, and unfortunately so could the Invid.

After the most recent dogfight, Scott and the others had gone ahead and deactivated their protoculture, and then used their jamming gear in order to create a type of smokescreen. This bought them enough time to escape through one of the openings in the valley’s roof without being seen. It worked just like they planned, and now the rest of the Invid had gone off searching elsewhere for their enemy.

Beneath the shade of the trees, the survivors were shielded from the light of the sun as it was beginning to set. Shortly after, they set up their new campsite along side of a riverbank, relieved they now had a fresh water source at their disposal. Lunk immediately set to work on boiling and filtering some of it in order to make it safe for human consumption. But while it seemed the water issue had been resolved, they still had food to worry about. So in order to try and remedy that problem as well Rand went ahead and crafted a make-shift fishing pole and then attempted to fish in the river, hoping to catch something big if possible.

He was still trying to get over the embarrassment of piloting the beta fighter right into a treetop earlier, when he’d attempted to save Lunk and his passengers from an Invid shock trooper. It wasn’t Rand’s proudest moment but at least he still managed to take the shock trooper out, despite his “dopey landing” as Annie had called it.

 _She always has such a way with words_ , he thought then as he cast his line out into the river. It was nice and peaceful out here and the air was cool and crisp but also a little humid. He didn’t mind though, in fact he rather preferred it over the hot and dry climate he used to live in _. I could get used to living here. Maybe even build a cabin next to the river after this war is over. Who knows maybe even Rook would be up for joining me?_

But before he got too far ahead with his pleasant daydreams, he suddenly remembered the disturbing way Victoria had reacted after that shock trooper had overturned the APC. Lunk and the others had run for cover, while she just sat there slumped over beside the vehicle with this haunting thousand yard look in her eyes, as though she had lost the will to go on. And for all they knew she probably had, especially now that she believed her good friend Enrique was dead. She probably even felt responsible for what happened to him, as she hadn’t spoken a single word to any of them since leaving that desert.

Even now as Rand peered over his shoulder, he could see her seated on a fallen log a good distance away from the rest of the group, with her back facing them and her head down. Annie had even gone over there to offer her some water but still got no response. He couldn’t believe it. She was acting just like Scott had at one point, back when he and the others had discovered a massive graveyard of his fallen comrades. Rand remembered how Scott had lost all hope that day as well, until he and Rook had returned after a quick scavenging trip in an abandoned town where they found Marlene.

But it wasn’t until Marlene had been in danger that Scott snapped out of his pity party and jumped back into action so he could save her. After that, Rand had been so certain those two would have ended up as a couple by now, but remarkably Scott had refrained from getting too close to her, and probably because he was too afraid. Still, the woman had given him the motivation he needed in order to come back to life, and now Rand wondered what it might take to bring Victoria back.

She seemed lost to the world as she sat alone with that green apron folded across her lap, stained from her tears as they fell onto it. Yet she couldn’t even bear to look down at it anymore, instead, she was staring off in the distance, her eyes focused on a single tree in the background with its leaves illuminated by the light of the moon. She would have found it beautiful if it weren’t for her sour mood, but as of now it was nothing more than a distraction; something to take her mind off the overwhelming guilt she felt inside.

Rook even felt sorry for her, knowing exactly what it’s like needing to isolate yourself from everyone just so you could try and clear your head. She had been there before too, but Annie on the other hand, didn’t seem to understand, and was insistent on trying to go over there and talk her out of it.

“Don’t bother her she needs time alone,” Rook explained it the best she could. “Going over there when she needs space away from us is only going to annoy her, Annie. She just lost someone very close to her she needs to grieve.”

Annie sulked. She wished there was something she could do or say to make her friend feel better, only she didn’t know what. But just as Rook had told her, Victoria needed space, so the last thing Annie wanted to do was drive her new best friend away.

However, after he’d overheard them, Scott couldn’t help but feel differently, especially after all the past conflict between him and Victoria. Thankfully things had been peaceful after their last big argument, but now he couldn’t help but feel like he owed it to her to try and help her now, or at least find a way to bring her back from the brink of hopelessness.

And it was at that moment, when his thoughts of going over there to try and talk to the distraught woman were soon interrupted by the sound of splashing coming from the river.

“I caught one!” Rand exclaimed excitedly, as Annie came hurrying over to watch him reel the fish in, just to witness as the make-shift line snapped and the fish got away.

“Nice going it got away!” Annie quipped, thwacking him on the back of the head with her fingers.

“I’d sure like to see you try!” Rand hurled back at her, rubbing his sore noggin. 

Rook could only shake her head at those two. “You’d think they were siblings sometimes,” she remarked, looking over at Marlene, who appeared to be doing much better now. She was smiling and even giggled a little at Rook’s comment.

But of course, laughter was the last thing Victoria wanted to hear right now, as it only filled her with utter disgust, but not with them just herself. She hated knowing that Enrique died believing nothing but the lies she fed him about getting her career back, when all along she’d been robbing banks with Maxwell just to make ends meet. Even worse she had also been giving the young bartender some of that money as a form of pay raise, but he never once questioned where it came from to her knowledge. Or perhaps he did know the truth but needed it just the same?

Still, it was hard to fathom, and something inside of made her wonder if perhaps it was better this way. Yet aside from her thoughts of Enrique, she also felt remorse for all the rotten things she’d done as well as the people whose lives she had taken. And unlike Maxwell or Morane, she never derived any pleasure from it, but just the same she had managed to convince herself it was the only way to survive. But after ending up in this world as well as meeting these wonderful people who didn’t know a thing about her dark past, she wanted to repent and start over, but whether or not she could was the question that had no answer. _I wouldn’t even know where to start_ , she thought sadly. _Maybe it’s too late and this is why I’m here? The man of the universe is punishing me I know it._

“How are you holding up?” Scott suddenly asked.

She didn’t bother to answer him. Instead, she merely waited for him to give up and walk away, when the next thing she knew he’d gone ahead and took a seat beside her. Nevertheless, her guard stayed up.

“I’m miserable that’s what,” she muttered rather callously, hoping he would take a hint and leave. But it appeared as though he wasn’t the least bit affected by her attitude because another minute had gone by and he was still there.

“I didn’t want to say anything before since you were so upset,” he stated then. “But I do think there’s a chance tha—

“Stop it!” She rudely cut him off. “I don’t want to hear it. You’re going to tell me there’s a chance he’s still alive, right? Well I don’t believe it anymore. Maybe at one point he was, but that’s over now. He’s gone, I’ve accepted it,” she stared ahead again as her eyes glistened with tears, struggling to hold them back. She was already tired of crying.

But hearing the way she had spoken of her friend as though he meant nothing to her anymore, both shocked and saddened Scott. He couldn’t believe she had lost all hope, but it seemed to serve as an ugly reminder of the times he too felt this way.

“I-I’m sorry. I’m just trying to help,” he offered sympathetically.

“How can you?” She then quipped, narrowing her eyes as she turned and glared at him. “ _You_ don’t even know what it’s like.”

With the way she had stared him down, as well as the harshness of her words in that angry raspy voice, Scott began to feel like she was only looking for someone to pin the blame of her loss on. But she was deeply wrong about him. He did understand how she felt, which was what suddenly prompted him to pull out his holo-locket. He needed to show her just how wrong about him she was.

“This is all that’s left of my fiancé,” he explained, grasping the green heart shaped amulet tightly in his left hand so she could get a good look at it. “I lost her right at the beginning before I crashed on this planet, and for a while I felt like a dead man walking. It was the Invid who took her from me, and that is the reason why I keep fighting. I want to avenge Marlene and liberate the planet.”

Seeing his locket as well as listening to his story seemed to melt away some of the iciness within her, but while she was sympathetic, the moment she’d heard his deceased fiancé’s name left her a bit confused now.

“Wait a minute,” she then interjected in a perplexed manner. “Isn’t Marlene the name of that girl?” She then pointed over to the pink haired woman huddled in her orange jacket by the fire. “She’s your fiancé?”

Scott shook his head. “That’s not the same woman. We found her, and since she couldn’t remember her name, I decided to call her Marlene.”

Victoria still seemed a little appalled by this little revelation. “I see?”

“But like I said, I do understand your grief, Victoria,” he continued. “And that’s why I came over here to talk to you, so you’d know you’re not alone.”

While his words provided some form of comfort, it still wasn’t enough to convince her that she wasn’t alone, for she had done horrible things in which she had no choice but to live with. There was no reset button and there was no going back in time to stop herself from making those choices either. It was a done deal, and now there were only two options; either confess and risk losing her new friends, or continue living in denial. The third option on the table was to end her life, and the more she kept focusing all her attention on that same tree up ahead with its long snake like vines, merely told her she was highly considering it. Earlier she had even attempted to get herself killed by one of those shock troopers, but unfortunately Lunk had come rushing out of the foliage and dragged her back to safety with the rest of them. She wasn’t the least bit grateful for that. In fact she was still pretty angry over it.

“Lunk told me what happened before,” Scott mentioned next, sounding deeply concerned much to her surprise. “Were you trying to get yourself killed?”

She sighed bitterly. “I don’t know. I don’t know what anything is anymore. But I failed _him_ , I do know that.” She couldn’t even bring herself to say Enrique’s name. She didn’t believe she had the right to.

“C’mon you know that’s not true,” Scott disagreed then. “You did what you could to try and find him, and I know he wouldn’t want you to feel this way, or to see you give up like this. He would want you to go on.”

Anger flared through her as she turned and glared at him with utter disgust. “It wasn’t enough, and how _dare_ you sit there and tell me that I should go on when you’ve also got a death wish yourself. You think I haven’t noticed how often you put yourself in danger every chance you get? And now that you tell me about your fiancé it all makes sense. You _still_ wish you were dead, don’t you?”

Stunned, he just sat there in silence not knowing what else to say. Whether it was intentional on her part or not her words had cut him deep, and now he had to wonder if she might be right. And while he could have easily just gotten angry and left he knew this was only her grief talking and he shouldn’t take it personally.

“At times I have,” he finally admitted after a beat of silence. “But I don’t feel that way anymore.”

“And what changed?” She scoffed lightly as she lit a cigarette.

“I made a promise to myself to only think about my mission, to finish this war,” he answered. “That’s my reason for going on, and you can find a reason too if you allow it.”

After taking a long drag from her cigarette she shook her head. “No I can’t. You see, that’s where you and I are different. You’re good and I’m _not_.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, giving her a long hard stare.

Realizing what she had just said, she suddenly grew quiet again.

“What aren’t you telling me here?” He demanded to know, beginning to lose his patience.

She shook her head slowly. “I don’t want to talk about it, so just let _it_ and _me_ , go, all right? It’s the least you can do.”

Sighing with frustration, he turned away from her and thought about just standing up and leaving. It was obvious she wasn’t thinking straight, but then a sudden memory flashed through his mind, reminding him of a time when he felt utterly helpless and even just as hopeless. It was that first night of being here on earth after he’d crashed in his former alpha fighter, where a brutal thunderstorm raged on while he sat huddled and cold inside the cockpit, torturing himself with the final image and message from Marlene, _“Scott, my darling, I know it isn’t much, but I thought you’d get a kick out of this trinket. I’m looking forward to living the rest of my life with you. I can’t wait till all this conflict is behind us. Till we meet again, my love…..”_

Looking down at his holo-locket now, he just knew he had to convince this woman there was another way. He just had to. “Listen, I’m not going to let you give up, cause I know this isn’t what you really want. You’re not thinking clearly right now because you’re hurting, and probably even feel a bit lost, which is understandable, but back there,’ he then looked behind them in the direction of the camp. “Are a group of people who care very much about what happens to you, and you know what? So do I, and none of us would want you to end your life like this, especially Annie,” he sighed sadly, knowing just how much it would break the poor teen’s heart.

Victoria was silent as she took another drag from her cigarette, but she was definitely listening and thinking things over. The last thing she ever wanted was to hurt Annie. That poor girl had been through enough as it was.

“You told me before that you still plan on meeting that secret admirer of yours, right? So what if he’s still out there somewhere? Why not make that your mission?”

“Because I don’t believe in fairytales!” She suddenly snapped at him with such ferocity she didn’t even know she had it in her, until he dared to bring up the only other thing she’d also lost all hope over. Then like a dam of emotions she suddenly burst, and that’s when everything came pouring out.

“And for all I know he’s probably dead too, all because I’m finally getting what I deserve after all the rotten things I’ve done and all the people I’ve hurt.” Her eyes began to tear up, and her hand was shaky as she lifted the cigarette up to her lips and took another drag. “Look, I’m sorry for what happened to you, cause you’ve done nothing to deserve that, but me? I’ve robbed people and I’ve even _killed_ them for catching me in the act. I turned to crime because I couldn’t make it as an actress anymore, not with the way the media kept trashing my films and my good name. I just couldn’t do it anymore. I’m not like my mother was, but everyone else always expected me to live up to her name, well I couldn’t. Instead, I became just like my father, a hardened no-good criminal.” You wanted the truth? Maxwell and I are criminals, that’s all. Good for nothing criminals, now you have it so let me be!”

Turning away from him once more, she took one final drag of her cigarette and then madly tossed the butt onto the dirt, stamping it out with the sole of her shoe, before lowering her head into her hands and quietly sobbing. She no longer cared about what any of the others thought about her, or even if they abandoned her and Maxwell for good. None of that mattered anymore. The truth was finally out in the open, and aside from the mental anguish of losing Enrique, she still felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. But she also noticed something else she hadn’t expected at all; silence on Scott’s end. She figured by now he would’ve at least gotten angry or even lashed back in outrage, but strangely he wasn’t. In fact, he hadn’t even gotten up and left which she was also expecting. What was going on now?

While seemingly at a loss for words, Scott was indeed shocked by this little confession of hers, but he wasn’t angry, even if she had been lying to them all this time. Instead, he actually felt sorry for her because he could clearly see she was broken. And as he sat there in silence watching her cry, it became even clearer to him that she was remorseful for the things she had done, which might have had a lot to do with why he couldn’t feel any anger towards her. A real criminal wouldn’t feel any kind of remorse at all, let alone cry.

“Well I’m glad you finally told me the truth,” he mentioned a moment later with a heavy sigh. “But I’m not going to lie, I’m not happy about it, but I can also see that you’re not as bad of a person as you think you are either. You obviously feel remorseful for what you’ve done. A real criminal wouldn’t feel anything at all, but you do. That tells me there’s still some good left inside you, Victoria.”

With a sharp exhale, she lifted her head back up and glanced over her shoulder. “You think so?”

He nodded. “Whoever you were before all this is not the same person you are now. I’d even go as far to say that you’ve changed for the better.”

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “No, I’ve killed people for my own selfish reasons. That’s unforgivable and you know it, so don’t even pretend to understand what that’s like. I’m the one who has to live with it, you don’t.”

He frowned. “So then who were these victims? And is Maxwell also a killer?”

She nodded, which seemed to only put him on edge now. “But not in the way you would expect,” she added, pulling out a handkerchief from her purse and drying her eyes. “He’s only ever killed those who were sent to kill him. He was always on someone’s list you see, and even though Morane— her voice trailed off as though she were trying to avoid delving back into more unpleasant memories.

“Go on,” Scott urged, eager to know everything there was about her, Maxwell, and whoever this other man was.

“Morane was keeping Maxwell alive because it took some of the heat off himself, so in other words he was protecting him. As for myself, well the first man I ever killed, it was an accident. He was a film producer who wouldn’t keep his hands to himself, but that was before I started to crash and burn. After that, I was just willing to do anything to keep what riches I had left, and so I turned to Maxwell-my former agent, because he already had the criminal background, and together we decided to get rich by robbing banks. It wasn’t until I encountered my first witness that I realized I had to kill him. By that point I had convinced myself it was the only way and so I believed it.”

“What about your fraudulent card games, or was that just another lie?” Scott narrowed his eyes at her.

She shook her head. “No, that part was true. You see, with my failing career I had to find employment elsewhere, and so Maxwell pretty much hired me to be the Card Shack’s eye candy. My job was to lure men to the joint and get them to spend their money on the cheap booze and also participate in the rigged card games. There was a quota to meet every week, and when we both started coming up short, well that’s when Morane started sending spies. Robbing banks wasn’t all about maintaining our luxurious lifestyles, it was also about staying alive. We also had to start killing these spies just to save our own butts.”

“You keep mentioning this person Morane,” Scott mentioned next. “Who is he and why are you two so afraid of him?”

Unnerved, she pulled out another cigarette and lit it before answering. “He’s the one who rules over us all back home. God to some, the devil incarnate to others, but realistically he’s just a bad tempered foul-mouthed tyrant.” She took a long drag of her cigarette, before adding, “And he’s not the least bit harmless either, he’ll kill you the moment you turn your back on him. He’s told me how much he enjoys that and that I should too.”

“Well it’s obvious you don’t,” Scott said then, still trying to sort through his feelings on the matter. The shock of it all had worn off, but he couldn’t deny the fact he didn’t know if he could trust this woman anymore or not. He still didn’t trust Maxwell, that hadn’t changed.

“No I don’t enjoy it, never did,” she answered flicking the ash buildup off her cigarette. “But that still doesn’t mean I’m a good person, and I’m sure you probably don’t even trust me anymore now.”

The look she was giving him in that moment made it seem as though she had read his very thoughts. Her expression was stoic, except for her eyes which appeared to see right through him as though he was a sheet of glass and she already had him all figured out.

“It’s all right,” she said after a beat of silence. “I wouldn’t trust me anymore either. I lied to you all about who I was. I don’t deserve your trust or your _friendship_.”

Scott had agreed with her, up until she mentioned that last word; friendship, and then he was right back to his mixed feelings again. He hated this, but he couldn’t bring himself to hate her, in fact he still felt as though he should help her, or at the very least save her from herself. Regardless of how all of this made him feel, he still believed helping her was the right thing to do.

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Back at the campsite, the rest of the group had been moderately busy, with each doing their part to contribute, all except for Maxwell of course, who was sitting on his butt watching everyone else around him. Even Marlene was busy helping out as she, Rook, and Annie had been walking about gathering more firewood. Lunk appeared to be busy doing maintenance on his APC, while Lancer was checking to see just how much protoculture energy cells they each had left. From what he could tell there wasn’t much and soon they would run completely out of that too.

Rand on the other hand, was still trying to catch their dinner but unfortunately coming up short, aside from the one minnow he did manage to catch by sheer dumb luck, but there was no way that was going to feed them all. He needed to catch something much bigger, but once his stomach began to growl he didn’t think he had much patience left for that. _Hey Ammon, how about a little help over here? You said you’re protecting us, so shouldn’t include helping us catch food too?_

Annie was already whining to the others about her own hunger pains, talking about how she was hungry enough to eat a horse, just to quickly backpedal on the idea the instant she remembered horses were cute and she didn’t want to eat them anymore. It was bad enough she had trouble whenever they had to eat rabbit, but she quickly learned it was either shut up and eat what’s available or starve, and Annie wasn’t about to let herself go hungry anytime soon. No way.

Surprisingly, the only one who wasn’t complaining about hunger was Marlene. In fact, she had been feeling much better since leaving that cave, and remarkably hadn’t experienced any more of those mysterious migraines, not even after that last skirmish with the Invid. And not only that, but she had also become a lot more talkative as well, making the others wonder if perhaps she might be starting to remember things like who she is and where she came from.

Annie had to wonder if these sudden changes might have had something to do with Ammon or the Seba, or possibly both. Still, Annie was saddened that her ghost friend had been giving her the cold shoulder, and wondered if he would ever visit her again. But as long as he was helping her other friends there weren’t any hard feelings. She only wished he had the ability to do more for them, like help them end this war already for example, or even help them find food for that matter. If he could just do that she’d be more than grateful.

Then as Maxwell went to light a cigar, he suddenly spotted both Scott and Victoria off in the distance seated next to one another, looking like a couple of lovebirds based on his point of view. He shot a scowl in their general direction as he held the open flame of his lighter up to the end of his cigar, and muttered, “Looks like that bloody leader of yours has gone looking for totty.”

“Looking for what?-Who?” Rand replied quizzically over his shoulder. The others also seemed utterly confused by Maxwell’s comment, as it was apparent none of them were the least bit familiar with British slang.

“Oh bollocks,” Maxwell griped then, puffing on his cigar. “I’m stuck with a bunch of uncultured swine.”

Rook on the other hand, had definitely known what that meant, and it angered her enough that she stopped and tossed the pile of sticks she’d been carrying right onto the ground, before whipping around and glaring down at him with such intensity she could’ve set him ablaze.

“Aren’t you the least bit grateful for our help?” She quipped, clenching both fists tightly. “We could have just left you both behind to fend for yourselves, but we didn’t! Instead, we brought you along with us because we wanted to help you, and this is the thanks we get? Calling us a bunch of uncultured swine? You’ve sure got a lot of nerve, mister!” She growled, ready to pounce on him like a lioness at any given moment, while the others watched nervously in the background, with some of them wondering if they should intervene or not. All except for Marlene and Annie, who were looking a bit scared.

“After you tried to make off with Lunk’s jeep and all our supplies, you’re lucky they even saved your worthless behind!” Rook fumed. “You haven’t even done a single thing to help contribute either, the rest of us are all working together to try and survive out here, and all you do is sit on your butt talking smack! The least you could do is help us gather wood for the fire! Is that so much to—

“Calm down, Rook,” Lancer suddenly cut her off as he got between her and Maxwell just now. “You’re frustrated with him, a lot of us are. But this isn’t going to make things any better.”

“What’s wrong?” Scott asked worriedly after he and Victoria came rushing over.

Rook let out a harsh breath as she sat down next to the fire. “Nothing,” she grumbled, tossing a small twig into the flames.

Maxwell sneered in her direction in attempt to provoke her rage once more, but she ignored him.

“Don’t worry the situation is under control for now,” Lancer informed Scott. “But I will admit it would have been fun to watch her beat the smugness right out of him.”

Scott then glared down at Maxwell. “I suggest you keep your mouth shut before we decide to tie you to one of those trees back there and leave you.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Maxwell huffed, clenching his fists, when Victoria suddenly interrupted with, “I told him, Maxwell.”

Maxwell’s eyes widened with shock; a mixture of anger and utter outrage hit him like a tidal wave. He couldn’t believe she would betray him like this. What was she thinking?

“I told him _everything_.”

And there it was, and in that instant, his brows snapped together and he rose to his feet, clenching his jaw so tightly his teeth were practically grinding against one another. He was going to make her pay for this one way or another.

“You whinging twat!” Maxwell seethed with venom as he marched right up to her and slapped her so hard across the face it almost knocked her down.

In a daze, she stumbled backwards and was just about to fall, until Scott quickly rushed in and caught her, helping her back up and allowing her to lean against him for support until she could stand on her own again. As of now, her face stung so badly it almost felt numb, and her vision seemed to be spinning to the point she didn’t know which direction was up and which direction was down. Was it night or day? She couldn’t remember that either, but she did hear the panicked gasps coming from the rest of her friends once the ringing in her ears subsided. Then, as her vision slowly refocused, she could see their worried faces looking back at her.

“I-is she okay?” She heard Annie ask the others in that moment.

Pressing her hand against the right side of her face, Victoria winced, hanging her head shamefully. The daze was also beginning to wear off, but with the way she was reacting one might’ve assumed she probably felt like she deserved what she’d gotten. Nevertheless, all eyes were on her and Maxwell now for sure, but Maxwell didn’t appear to be done with her just yet as he attempted to get in her face once again, only to find himself now staring into the end of Scott’s H90.

“Lay another hand on her and I won’t hesitate to shoot,” Scott warned him ferociously. “Now back off!”

Maxwell scoffed lightly. “Oh bloody come on, we both know you’re not going to shoot me, you’ll only summon those Invid, won’t you? And then you’ll all be done for,” he smirked, drawing a lot of angry looks from the others as they looked on.

Scott simmered with anger. “Well maybe that’s a risk we’re willing to take if it means the end of _you_.”

Shocked by his response, Maxwell then raised both hands, and slowly backed away, scowling the whole time. It wasn’t until he was far enough away from her that Victoria felt safe enough to lift her head back up and meet his hateful glare. His eyes seemed to linger on Scott a bit longer, lost in a deep seeded rage, before he even noticed she was looking at him. Now he focused all his hate on her again.

“I had to tell him, Maxwell,” she explained shakily, lowering her hand from her face. It still stung a little, but she was thankful he hadn’t struck her hard enough to cause any bruising, although she knew if the others hadn’t been around Maxwell probably would have done a lot worse to her.

“I didn’t mean to, it just kind of slipped out,” she continued, sounding and acting a lot like a battered wife much to everyone else’s concern. “But Maxwell he needed to know the truth. They all do,” she frowned, next looking over at Annie.

“Huh? What do you mean?” The teenager blinked with confusion. “What truth?”

Victoria bowed her head and sighed with a heavy heart. “The truth that Maxwell and myself are really just a couple of criminals.”

Maxwell’s nostrils flared with anger, but Scott wasn’t about to let him out of his sight as he still had his blaster trained on him, itching to pull the trigger.

Annie went slack-jawed and gasped. “You lied to us? I thought you said you were an actress?”

“I _was_ an actress,” Victoria corrected her meekly. “I just wasn’t good enough to stay relevant, so I turned to crime to get by. Maxwell and I, we’re nothing but a couple of thieves.”

Annie frowned, feeling absolutely devastated.

“And we’ve also killed people too,” Victoria added regretfully, knowing this young girl who used to admire her wouldn’t be able to look at her the same now. How could any of them look at her the same after this? Victoria knew she was digging her own grave with every word she spoke.

“Some were killed in self defense, but others merely to cover our own tracks. We haven’t been very good people, Annie.” Victoria’s eyes shimmered with tears. “In fact, I didn’t think it was possible to ever feel good about myself again until I met you. At least you helped me realize that about myself, all of you for that matter,” she looked at each one of their faces, noting their disapproving looks. It was obvious they were feeling deeply hurt and betrayed.

“It was never something I was proud of, and I was waiting for the right moment to tell you all,” she continued.

“Like when?” Rand scoffed just then, not even trying to hide his anger. “After we dropped the two of you off somewhere just so you could rub it in our faces then, is that it?”

Victoria couldn’t believe how angry Rand sounded. This was exactly the kind of reaction she’d expected from Scott when she first told him, but to hear it from Rand of all people was totally unexpected. Even Lancer looked a bit cross as he looked back at her, while Rook appeared to be in utter disbelief. Marlene on the other hand, appeared confused, as if she didn’t really understand what was going on, and Lunk just stood there, practically a blank slate.

“I was planning on telling you before that,” Victoria answered Rand solemnly, trying her best to convince them all she was being honest now. “You have no idea how hard it was keeping this from all of you, especially once we became friends, then it became much harder, because I knew then I stood the risk of losing you.” Then she looked back at Annie. “You most of all, Annie It’s the reason I told you before that I didn’t belong with your group. It was eating me up inside the entire time, Annie. You have to believe me.”

“And how can we be so sure you’re even telling us the truth now?” Rand quipped irritably, walking right up to her. “You needed our help because the two of you were stranded back there, and let’s be honest, you _still_ need our help, otherwise if we left you both behind you’d be stranded again, wouldn’t you?” He got right in her face, when he heard Scott bark, “That’s enough, Rand. Now back off!”

Rand couldn’t believe Scott was actually coming to the woman’s defense over something like this, being he was the one who didn’t even trust her to begin with. Rand shook his head in disbelief. “Now _you’re_ standing up for her? She lied to us, Scott. Doesn’t that mean anything to you? Or does she already have you wrapped around her finger?”

Taking immediate offense, Scott furrowed his brow and glared back at him. “No she doesn’t, but you weren’t there when she told me everything either. She feels remorse for the things she’s done, Rand. Criminal or not, she doesn’t want to be that person anymore. She’s changed and you know it.”

“Rand, please?”Victoria uttered sadly, looking back at him, just to feel the sting of his contemptuous gaze. He reacted like a scorned lover that had caught her in the act of being unfaithful. There was no other way she could’ve described his sudden fury. “Yes we needed your help, and it’s true we still do, and I’m sorry I lied to you all about who we really are, honestly I am. And I care enough about you all that I’m even willing to be left behind this time. It doesn’t matter what happens to me anymore,” she shook her head slowly. “My bed’s already been made and I shall lie in it, same with Maxwell.” She then turned towards her disgruntled partner in crime, who was seated on the ground with his arms crossed, giving her the stare of a thousand deaths. He most certainly wanted her dead at that point, so it was a good thing Lunk still had Maxwell’s revolver hidden away somewhere.

“You people are all that matters to me now,” Victoria continued, crying softly as her eyes glimpsed each one of their faces with remorse. “Your safety and well-being is _all_ that matters to me. I don’t care if you hate me or not, I still see you as my friends. But I also see that you’re better off without me.”

Everyone was quiet then, as though trying to sort their feelings out, when Lancer suddenly said, “We don’t hate you.” He appeared rather crushed over the fact she would assume that of any of them. “You were wrong to lie to us, but I understand why you did it. I’ve also had to hide my true self at times just to stay alive. But at least you’re owning up to your past mistakes and trying to change for the better. None of us can fault you for that.” He then looked right at Rand, putting him on the spot.

“I don’t hate you either, Victoria,” Annie added with a sad smile, as she walked over and took a hold of the distraught woman’s right hand, and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Victoria exhaled sharply as she pulled Annie close to her, where she wrapped her arms tightly around the girl, crying tears of relief. Then as Victoria looked back at the others, everyone else but Rand appeared to share the same sentiments as Lancer and Annie.

After all, Rand had always been the moral compass of the group, so it wasn’t any surprise that learning his team had been hauling a couple of lying fugitives along with them didn’t exactly sit well with him. Perhaps in time he would forgive Victoria, but if not that was fine with her. She didn’t expect anything of him. Still, it saddened her to see him walk away from her like this, wandering off somewhere to be by his lonesome. The last thing she ever wanted was to drive a wedge between these people, but it seemed like it was already too late. There was nothing left to do but wait for them to work things out among themselves. They would have to in order to continue on their journey to Reflex Point.

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But while everyone else appeared to be dealing with their feelings on the matter, that’s when Scott suddenly turned his attention back to Maxwell, giving him a scathing look. The feeling seemed to be mutual on Maxwell’s end too, as he kindly returned the gesture with a stabbing scowl of his own.

“Just so you know, she also told me about the people you’ve killed,” Scott said, staring him down.

Maxwell chuckled musingly and smirked. “Then you should know I’m not one to be screwed with.”

Scott glowered. “She told me you’ve only ever killed those who were sent to kill you, so is that true or not?”

Maxwell’s lips curled back into a snarl. “Of course it bloody is! I’m not some pathetic coward that’s gonna lay down and take a bullet from my enemies, anymore than you would take a blast to your perfect face from those Invid.”

Scott noted the passive-aggressiveness in Maxwell’s retort, but simply brushed it off since he wasn’t at all in the mood to get into it with his man again. Maxwell, however, was still doing the best he could to test Scott’s patience with him.

“So, what’s this all about? You trying to decide if I’m a threat so you can tie me up again, is that it? You Nancy boy!”

“Say another word and I will!” Scott now warned him through clenched teeth.

As of that moment, it was taking all the self control in the world to keep Scott from shooting this man dead. His blood was still boiling with rage after seeing the way Maxwell had ruthlessly attacked Victoria. That man had a lot of nerve hitting any woman at all, and in Scott’s eyes it was not only wrong but also cowardice. As a matter of fact, Scott would’ve preferred if Maxwell had attacked him instead, that way Maxwell would be fighting someone his own size, and also so Scott would finally have an excuse to beat the living daylights out of him.

Only, Scott knew there wasn’t going to be a next time, as he had already made up his mind to leave that man behind once and for all. Maxwell was nothing but a loose cannon, and Scott couldn’t afford having him rile up any more of his teammates, especially after that last confrontation between Maxwell and Rook. He needed his team to stay alert and focused at all times, not blinded by their anger and hate for that man; himself included.

And speaking of conflict, Scott still needed to talk to Rand so they could work out their own differences. He then recalled how Rand had left so abruptly, seeming eager to get far away from all of them. But while Scott understood the young forager needed his space, he still needed his help, especially with making new travel plans since flying their Robotech planes out of there was a definite no-go. Scott already had an idea in mind, but wanted to run it by Rand and the others first to see if it was workable. Not only that, but Scott also needed Rand’s help if they ever hoped to win this war. He was a valuable asset to the team and a formidable fighter at that, which is exactly what Scott would have to remind him of in order to get him back on board. Only, it would need to be sooner than later, since they didn’t exactly have time to be sitting around for too long; not with the constant threat of the Invid. They might’ve been hidden for now, but Scott knew it would only be a matter of time before they were discovered again, so they would need to be prepared for that.

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Thankfully Rand hadn’t wandered off too far. In fact, he was seated by himself next to the river bank, tossing stones across the water’s rushing current. He appeared to be so lost inside his own thoughts that he didn’t even notice Scott standing right over him just now.

“Rand,” Scott called down to him, hoping to grab his attention.

“What now?” Rand groused, as he picked up another small rock and flung it across the river. There seemed to be a never ending supply of rocks and pebbles of all sizes at his disposal. He could probably even do this all night if he wanted.

“Will you stop acting like this?” Scott scolded him then. “You’re behaving like a stubborn child. The team still needs you. I _still_ need you.”

Rand scoffed as he skipped another stone across the waters. “Of course you do, Scott. You can’t win this war alone, can you?”

Scott shut his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. “What is wrong with you?”

“Maybe I’m just starting to realize how tired of all this I am?” Rand answered plainly, skipping another stone. “You heard _her_ out already, but what about me? Or does my opinion not mean as much to you because I’m not some female with a pretty face?”

“Is that what you think this is about?” Scott raised his voice in outrage. “Of course I care about your opinion, but that doesn’t mean I’m always going to agree with it. Do you think I’m wrong for wanting to help that woman? Rand, she tried to get herself killed today. I’m not happy about the lies either, but I’m also not going to allow the poor woman end her own life. What kind of a man would I be if I did?”

“You can’t keep fighting everyone’s battles for them, Scott,” Rand sighed with disappointment, even though he had to agree that Scott was right this time. Neither of them wanted to see Victoria end her own life. They couldn’t live with that.

“Nothing wrong with helping those who need it,” Scott countered righteously.

“Of course there’s nothing wrong with that, but you can’t always play the hero either,” Rand argued, skipping another stone. “I guess what I’m trying to say here, is that you can’t save everyone.”

“Doesn’t hurt to try,” Scott shot back defensively.

And that’s when Rand had the sudden realization of why trying to save everyone was so important to Scott. It wasn’t because of some self absorbed hero complex, but rather about making up for the one person he couldn’t save; Marlene.

“I’m sorry about your fiancé, Scott,” Rand mentioned then with heavy sigh, knowing he was probably crossing a line with that statement and would probably end up with Scott’s fist in his face afterwards, but it had to be said. This was something his stubborn leader needed to hear. “I’m sorry you couldn’t save your girl, but that doesn’t mean you’re obligated to save everyone you meet either. Saving them isn’t going to bring her back.”

Scott went stone-faced at the very mention of his fiancé. It angered him that Rand would even dare to use her as an example to show why he was in the wrong. Scott wasn’t foolish. He knew well enough that nothing would ever bring Marlene back, and saving others had absolutely nothing to do with that. But while it angered him, he wasn’t about to lose his temper over it because he still needed to amend this friendship, despite how difficult Rand was making it for him.

“I know saving others isn’t going to bring her back to me, Rand,” Scott responded gravely, gazing hopelessly out at the moonlit waters. “Nothing I do will. But that doesn’t mean I should stand by and let others suffer or die around me,” he narrowed his eyes. “I’ve already seen too much death as it is, so you really can’t fault me for trying to prevent some of it, can you?”

“No I guess I can’t,” Rand agreed now, lowering his head with shame. “But you’re not the only one that’s seen a lot of death either, and if you haven’t already noticed I’m not too fond of criminals. Back where I grew up, I was pretty much surrounded by them, and after the Invid took over there wasn’t any law enforcement left to keep them in line. I saw a lot of good people get gunned down by them, some of those people were even friends and family.”

Scott felt saddened by this as he listened, wondering why the young forager had never mentioned any of this before.

“I’ve never even mentioned it till now,” Rand continued, answering Scott’s question. “Mostly because as a loner I’ve always been a private person, but when I found out Victoria was lying to us all about who she was, that’s when it all came back to me and that’s why I had to be alone.”

“I understand,” Scott acknowledged with a sympathetic look, even if Rand seemed to be avoiding eye contact for the time being.

“It hit even closer to home when she confessed to killing people herself,” Rand added angrily. “That’s why I lost it, and seeing the way you were playing hero to the woman, acting as though she’d done nothing wrong, really fired me up. It’s like you were defending a killer.” His eyes widened in bewilderment. “And I thought to myself, what does he even hope to get out of this? Does he expect this woman to fall for him or something? Is that it?”

“That’s what you’re insinuating?” Scott scoffed in disbelief. “C’mon, Rand, you know that isn’t the case at all. She just needs help and someone to listen so she doesn’t feel alone, that’s all. I think you’d understand her better if you knew the whole story. There’s a lot more to it, just ask her I’m sure she’d tell you.”

 _Whatever, Spaceman, but we both know who’s really alone here, don’t we?_ Rand was thinking now.

“She thinks you hate her,” Scott mentioned next. “But I know you don’t, and you’re wrong, I am willing to listen to whatever it is you have to say, because you’re a valuable asset to this team, Rand. I couldn’t have gotten this far if it wasn’t for you. I owe you a lot.”

 _Well it’s about time I got some appreciation around here,_ Rand thought, beginning to feel much better to his own surprise. “No, I don’t hate her. But I don’t think I can look at her the same now either,” he turned and looked up at Scott, trying to read his face.

“I know what you mean,” Scott agreed, still trying to figure out his own feelings on the matter. “But we should forgive her for what it’s worth. After all, she’s still dealing with the loss of someone special to her. We can’t forget that.”

And then Rand said something next which had caught Scott completely off guard.

“Would you ever forgive the Invid for killing Marlene?”

Scott now found himself torn between feelings of anger and utter confusion. He honestly didn’t know how to answer Rand’s question, even though it only required a yes or no response. “I—

“I honestly don’t know. Probably not.”

“So how is that woman any different?” Rand postulated. “Do you think the families of her victims would feel any different than you do about the Invid?”

Scott sighed with frustration. “What are you trying to get at here, Rand? Are you trying to tell me we should leave her behind, is that it? If you don’t want to forgive the woman, that’s fine with me, but I am not leaving her stranded here either. You’re the one who wanted to help her in the first place, and now you’re turning your back on her? I’m surprised at you.”

Rand remained silent then, thinking things over in his mind before Scott harshly added, “You want to know what the difference is between her and the Invid? Well the difference is she feels remorse for what she’s done, they don’t feel anything at all, Rand.”

“Yeah, I guess you do make a pretty good point there,” Rand agreed, hoping to put all this conflict between them both. “And if you say she feels remorse for what she’s done then I believe you, but that still doesn’t change the fact that I’m tired of fighting. I know Rook is too.”

“Are you both thinking of leaving then?” Scott asked worriedly, already dreading the idea of losing two of his best fighters.

“I’ve thought about it,” Rand sighed tiredly, taking another moment to skip one more stone for the evening. “But I don’t think the rest of you would last too long without us” A smug expression then crept its way onto his face. “So what’s next on the agenda, Spaceman?”

Hearing Rand acting like his usual self again made Scott smile. It was a sure sign things were looking up for the team once more.

“Why don’t you come back to camp first? That way we can discuss everything over dinner,” Scott answered.

“What dinner?” Rand shot him a quizzical look. “I barely caught anything.”

“I know,” Scott smiled thinly. “We’re eating rations tonight. You can try fishing again in the morning before we get to work.”

“Huh? Rand blinked. “Get to work on what exactly?”

“That’s where our important discussion comes in, see you at dinner.” Scott turned and left.

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Elsewhere, Stan and William had gone exploring in the evacuated city of New Denver, trying to find out as much as they could about earth and this alien war they now found themselves in the middle of. Stan was particularly inquisitive, and had insisted they check out the city’s local library since he believed that’s where they would find the answers they were looking for; in the form of old newspapers that were kept on file in the library’s archives. Much like Atlantis City, earth had a lot of similar technology namely computers, which was exactly what Stan was investigating for the time being, while William stood watch, looking out for any signs of alien hostiles. There hadn’t been any activity since Stan was last above ground, and even then the thing didn’t know he was there.

The power of the computer was already on as far as Stan could see, but in order for him to copy the entire database to his memory, he would need to disconnect the cable so he could insert it into one of his artificial veins. First, he deactivated his human guise, making sure William wasn’t around to see his true form, and then after he’d rolled up the sleeve on his left arm, he carefully peeled away part of the thin translucent skin, revealing an access panel where the main vein was located. After removing the cover, he next unhooked the cable from the back of the computer and then carefully inserted it right into one of his data ports. At first, there was a bit of a delay, and then before he knew it, his memory was flooded with all sorts of information dating back several hundred years as far as he could see.

Now absorbing the files, Stan found it interesting how there seemed to be no mention of the Tjatey at all. Instead, he discovered several stories about a race of 50 foot tall giants called the Zentraedi, and then he found all the reports about the Robotech Masters, and most recently the Invid. As it seemed, these were the only three alien threats earth had faced so far. But then another important piece of the puzzle jumped out at him; the dates of these wars. None of this history even matched up with the earth he and William knew about. Instead, it was as though this earth was a completely different one; like they were in a completely different universe. But how was this even possible?

Delving deeper into the records, Stan also learned about earth’s military and the Robotechnology; military aircraft with the ability to transform into three different modes appropriated to battle. It was the protoculture from these aliens that powered these great weapons, and while learning about the latest Robotechnology; the cyclones, he now realized that supply of HBT canisters was none other than the mysterious protoculture. Then, as he finished copying the last of the files, he eyed the HBT canister on the floor beside the table. Inside his mind, he marveled over this protoculture’s ability to power machinery such as the military’s veritechs and much more, and wondered what kind of effect this mysterious fuel source might have on himself if he were to use it. Could it possibly make him even more powerful? Or perhaps even turn him into a weapon that could destroy these Invid? The possibilities seemed endless.

But while he appeared rather occupied with his imagination, that’s about the time William headed back in and saw Stan sitting there in the chair without his guise. William froze in his tracks as the unpleasant memories of when he first discovered Stan was an android came flooding back. Words escaped him, and he still wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to seeing his friend in his natural state. It was a lot like walking in on someone naked; it felt like he was invading his privacy, and so William did what anybody else in that sort of predicament would, he turned around and waited for the android to turn its human guise back on so he would feel less awkward.

Once Stan noticed William standing with his back facing him, he began to feel a little embarrassed.

“I apologize for you having to see me like this again,” Stan said, disconnecting the cable from his forearm.

“Its fine,” William responded nonchalantly with his arms folded across his chest. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

“Yes,” Stan answered as he returned his attention to the lone HBT canister once more. “I found a lot more than I expected, or wanted to.”

“What do you mean?” William asked, still looking ahead.

Stan slid the skin on his forearm back in place, and then re-activated his guise. “This isn’t the earth from our history books. And then a moment later he added, “It’s all right you can look now, I’m decent again.”

Sighing with relief, William turned back around to face him. “So, this isn’t our earth? What does that even mean?”

“It means we’re in an entirely different universe in the solar system,” Stan explained, rising up from the chair. “Maybe even a different solar system altogether, but I’ve searched deep, and nowhere in any of these records is there any mention of the Tjatey. They don’t exist here, much like us.”

William had no idea what to make of any of this information, but it was startling nonetheless if not fascinating to know there was more than one universe in the galaxy.

“So, did you find out what that HBT stuff is?” He asked next.

Stan nodded. “It’s that protoculture these aliens are after. As a matter of fact, there are several of these protoculture farms all over the world. The Invid are capturing human slaves to help harvest it.”

“That’s horrendous!” William exclaimed in outrage. “What about the military, this earth has one, right? What are they doing about all this?”

“They were defeated,” Stan answered. “The Invid won.”

William shook his head. “No, that can’t be. Surely there’s got to be some humans fighting back. Why wouldn’t they? This is their home!”

“There are apparently, but they’re being hunted down and destroyed.” Stan replied, bewildered. “It’s their protoculture that gives them away. They use it to power these Robotechnology machines, as they’re called, and the Invid find them.”

“This city was evacuated,” William mentioned then. “So where did the humans survivors end up? Were you able to find that out as well?”

Stan shook his head. “No such luck. I think it’s safe to assume that the people stopped saving records after they were evacuated. The only thing I did find was the date of the evacuation, which was over a year ago, so there’s no telling where these people ended up, or if they’re even alive. They could be dead for all we know, or possibly slaves on one of those protoculture farms.”

“You said the Tjatey don’t exist in this universe like us, right?” William brought up next. “Well, they were also living on our base back home when that light from the mausoleum swallowed us up, so I think it’s safe to say they’re probably here on this earth as well, and with the current state of things I think it’s also plausible that they would resort back to their old ways again. They would have to in order to survive.”

“You think they’re a threat again?” Stan inquired.

“Yeah, sadly I do,” William sighed with disappointment as he headed over and sat down in one of the wooden desk chairs. “And without the AMF to keep them in line it’s possible one of them has already taken the role of leader so they can try and fulfill that ancient prophecy of theirs. This might not be our universe but they don’t know that and I doubt it would stop them either.”

“What are you proposing here?” Stan arched a brow.

“That we find them and stop them,” William insisted, making a fist. “We have to or else there’s going to be a lot more bloodshed than what’s already happened here, and I can’t allow that.” He shook his head slowly. “I’m the blood of Ammon, therefore it has to be me. I have to lead them down a better path.”

“And how do you propose we do that?” Stan asked.

“Simple, we gather up whatever supplies we need here and store it all in the cab of that truck. We can dump the rest of that protoculture to make room since we have no use for it. Maybe leave it all here with a note attached, telling other survivors to take what they need. As for finding the Tjatey? Perhaps I can connect with Ammon in another dream and ask him to show me where they are. He would know anyways since they are his people, and also since it was his request that I prevent them from going astray. But either way this has to be done. We have to prevent them from taking more human lives.”

Stan’s eyes seemed drawn to that protoculture canister once again, when William suddenly snapped at him, “Are you even listening?”

“I am,” Stan replied. “You want to refuel our supplies and take off in search of the Tjatey, correct?”

William nodded. “We still have that map too, so we can use that to aid us on where to go. At least with that we can see how far it is we need to travel.”

“All right then,” Stan gave an approving nod. “So when do we start?”

“Immediately,” William answered, when another thought occurred. “On our way here I spotted a gun shop, we should break in and take whatever we can find since we’re going to need to defend ourselves against the Tjatey and those aliens.”

“Invid is what they’re called,” Stan informed him. “And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but none of those guns will be the least bit effective against these things. I say we locate the nearest military base and head there first. I also say we bring that supply of protoculture with us as well. We just might need it.”

Shocked, William cast him a sideways glance. “You’re serious? How do we even find a military base without knowing where to look, Stan?”

“There’s an old naval base off the coast of some location known as Panama,” Stan explained. “I’ve already copied the map and its exact coordinates into my database. Distance wise, it will take us about a week to arrive. But I think it’s safe to say we aren’t going to have any speed limits to adhere by,” he smirked deviously.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Over a dinner of coffee and rations, Scott and his team held council in order to discuss plans for how they would continue traveling while avoiding detection from the Invid. They would need to come up with a different solution since their power and ammo levels were so low, and that’s when Scott suddenly proposed the idea of building a raft and using the river to travel instead.

“There are two things to recommend the idea: We’ll save what little protoculture we have left, and we won’t attract the Invid by activating our mecha.”

Lancer blew on his coffee. “I think it’s a brilliant idea. We’ll just let the river do all the work.”

Rand didn’t think it was such a hot idea at first, and had to ask how they were supposed to transport all their mecha as well as Lunk’s jeep. Much to his surprise, Scott told him they’d just take it all with them, which now meant it would require more than one raft and they would also have to be large enough to accommodate both the size and weight of their machines.

“You’re talking about one heck of a raft, there,” Rand remarked in disbelief. “Do you know anything about rafts, Spaceman?”

“Why else do you think I needed _your_ help?” Scott replied, stating the obvious. “It’s definitely workable, and I know it might take a day or two to complete, but I think it’s worth it. We really don’t have any other options.”

After that, everyone else appeared to be on board with the idea. Annie was especially excited, demanding that she be allowed to supervise and that the raft even be named after her. Rook seemed a bit annoyed by Annie’s excitement and scolded her, reminding her this wasn’t like some dumb jungle movie where all you needed a were a couple of vines and some coconut. This was going to take a lot of hard labor.

Aside from their plans, things looked to be somewhat back to normal for the group, as though they were already trying their best to forget what had happened earlier with Victoria and Maxwell. During the group’s little meeting, the two vagabonds sat far apart from the rest of them, with Maxwell seated up against the back right tire of Lunk’s jeep with his wrists tied behind him, while Victoria had gone back to that log she had sat on from before, where she now sat once more, staring back at her reflection in her compact mirror; looking right at the bruise on her right cheek. As it turned out, Maxwell had apparently struck her hard enough after all, and she figured it would take about week for it to completely fade, so for the time being she would just cover it up with some foundation powder.

It was an old magic trick another battered actress had shared with her, after the first time Victoria was assaulted by an abusive director on the set of one her films. Back then she had gotten into an argument over a skanky costume she was expected to wear, utterly refusing to have her beloved character looking like some sort of tramp. And in doing so, she severely angered the French director, who didn’t speak a single word of English, who then in a fit of rage, lashed out at her, striking her repeatedly right there in front of the entire crew, shouting, _“la pute! la pute! la pute!”_

It wasn’t until after Victoria had a brief chat with that other actress that she found out the director had been calling her a tart, which is what then pushed Victoria into learning French, as well as a few other common languages in Atlantis City, just so she would know what those creeps were saying from there on, and also so she’d be able to stand up for herself against them.

“ _la pute_ ,” she uttered now, in a bitter sounding voice, glimpsing her bruised face one final time before lightly dabbing the makeup powder over it.

In the background, she could hear the rest of the group conversing loudly, but felt no desire to join them. After everything that’d happened, she was feeling like the odd woman out, and wanted to put as much distance as she could between her and them, as she had already assumed she was no longer welcome to sit among them; they weren’t her friends anymore, or so she believed. Although, she was utterly surprised that her pistol hadn’t been confiscated again now that it was known she had killed people with it. They must have still trusted her somewhat if they allowed her to keep it, but then she suddenly realized why that was so. It was because they were finally going to leave her behind, and probably figured she would still need to defend herself against Maxwell. She knew for sure he was getting left behind when she’d overheard Scott and Lunk earlier when they made the decision to tie him back up, but only his hands this time. They didn’t trust him not to try and assault one of them or even herself again, and instead wanted to play it safe, especially while they slept when they’d be most vulnerable to attack.

Sighing deeply, Victoria closed her mirror and put it away, and then shifted her attention up to the stars above as they peered down at her through one of the openings in the jungle roof. They twinkled like diamonds as though alive, and as she watched them hopelessly, she wondered if someone or something would even listen if she dared to speak to them; especially if _he_ was up there.

“Enrique, I’m so sorry I lied to you,” she whispered somberly up to them now, hoping he could hear her. “I’m sorry I never told you the truth about what was really going on back home, and that I gave you that _wretched_ blood money, her breath shuddered as though the words had been choked right out of her leaving her breathless. It was painful to admit, to even be reminded of it all, but she knew this was the only way she’d ever find closure. After exhaling once more, she resumed, “I was also protecting you from Maxwell, because he told me that he’d kill you if I—

“Lonely night, isn’t it?” A voice suddenly interrupted her, coming from behind.

Startled, she quickly whipped her head around to see who it was, and couldn’t believe her eyes, it was Rand. Only, he sounded a lot different; much more somber and apologetic in tone to her ears.

“I have the stars to keep me company,” she replied casually, as though trying to pretend everything was just fine. “They’re always there for me, just like they were back home.”

Finding out just how lonesome she sounded made him frown. “I’m sorry, Goldilocks,” he sighed. “I honestly didn’t mean to go off on you the way I did before, but I just couldn’t believe that you of all people could be a _killer_. You just didn’t seem like the type at all for that, so it really shocked me to hear you admit that you were.”

Seeing that pained look on his face said it all. He was still finding it hard to accept, and now she realized she would have to try and make him understand, but only if she could.

“There’s something about me you need to understand, Rand,” she responded woefully as she held his piercing blue gaze. “My mother died when I was just a toddler, my father struggled to raise me by himself to the point he just gave up on me altogether. I had nobody to turn to, and nobody to look up to. The one man who did attempt to raise me, only did so because of perverse reasons. He at least waited until I was an adult, but still,” she scoffed lightly, shaking her head in dismay, and then continued. “My acting career was supposed to be the _one_ thing that would set me free, but it never did, instead it imprisoned me, and while the film industry was ever changing, I remained the same, unable to live up to the new standards. And so I struggled, trying to keep my head above water even though I was clearly drowning and nobody around me even cared, not even Maxwell. So what did I do? I turned to crime, because I saw how others were thriving and getting to live the kind of life I could only dream of. I was selfish I’ll admit, but when you’re a young woman living in a corrupt city, surrounded by a bunch of men who expect sexual favors in exchange for any major role in their pictures, you’ll do anything to avoid that and also anything to survive, even if it goes against what you believe in.”

She could tell she’d upset Rand even more with her life story, but she hadn’t meant to. She only wanted him to know more about who she was so he would understand why she’d done the things she had.

“I’ve lived a very hard and difficult life, Rand,” she acknowledged solemnly. “I’m not at all happy about the things I’ve done and if I could take it all back I would. But I needed you to know that I’m not just some cold-blooded killer. I’ve only ever killed _one_ witness who didn’t deserve it, and I regret it every day of my life. And I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I do want you to understand why I did it and why I chose that life.”

Still unable to find the right words to express how he felt, Rand just stood there speechless, staring back at her with a grave expression on his face. He finally understood what Scott had meant from before, about getting the whole story from the woman before passing judgment. It made sense to him now, even if he still didn’t like what she’d done, but at least he understood her better, which caused him to feel like a bit of jackass for turning his back on her. She truly was alone.

“I really don’t know what to say,” he frowned. “But if you must know, you’re more than welcome to stay with us. We’re not going to leave you behind. We’d never do that.”

She tried to smile in that moment but couldn’t. The bruise on her face hurt too much, and suddenly Rand noticed it too. Apparently she hadn’t covered it up as well as she thought.

“I oughta march right over there and deck that jerk in the face for what he did to you,” he growled, clenching a fist.

She shook her head slowly at him. “Don’t worry, this is nothing compared to what I’ve dealt with in the past. My face will heal. So how are we planning on escaping from here anyway?”

“Scott wants us to build a couple of large rafts,” Rand answered. “So I guess the big plan is to sail our way out of here. He said we need to start first thing in the morning since we arrived here too late. By the way, you’re more than welcome to help us if you want?”

She chuckled softly. “Sure, I’d love to help. I’ll do whatever it takes to help you all and earn my keep.”

“Well, we’re all getting ready to hit the hay for the night, and I’m not going to stamp out the fire this time since it’s gotten colder. So, why don’t you come on back to camp and have a bite to eat and warm yourself up a bit?” He offered. “You must be freezing without that coat of yours. You want me to go fetch it for ya?”

She shook her head. “No, that’s all right. It’s in the front seat of the jeep where I’m headed to now to get some shut-eye, but I appreciate the offer. And I’m glad you don’t hate me.”

A moment of silence passed between them before Rand quietly said, “I could never hate you, Goldilocks.”

Hearing this, her face brightened, bruise or not she was going to smile. “I’m glad to know that.”

Then as he flashed a quick smile of his own, and turned around to leave, she wondered if it might be too forward if she took off after him just to give him a big hug. It would certainly show the others that the two of them had mended their ways and that couldn’t be a bad thing. But on second thought, she knew just how much he secretly meant to Rook, and wasn’t about to try and encroach on that woman’s territory anytime soon. Still, it would’ve been nice to hug things out, but not at the expense of making Rook jealous therefore Victoria would keep her mitts to herself for now.

“Goodnight, Rand,” she called softly after him.

“Night, Goldilocks,” he called back over his shoulder.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

A few hours had passed during the night as everyone but Scott slept. He had volunteered to take first watch, and sat a bit a ways from the rest of his teammates. It had been mostly quiet, aside from Lunk’s loud snores, which had thankfully ceased once the large man turned over onto his side. Amazingly he hadn’t woken anybody up with the noise, although Scott did hear Rand groaning a little bit just before that, but the moment it was quiet again, the young forager didn’t even stir.

Now that the peace was back, Scott breathed a sigh of relief, and resumed his deep thoughts. He wondered about the future, and what it possibly held in store for him once Earth was liberated from the Invid. He figured afterwards he would need to leave this great planet behind in order to join with Admiral Hunter’s forces, where another war possibly awaited him. He knew he would hate leaving behind his team since they’d become something of a strong family unit, and even the planet itself somewhat, which is what then reminded him about what Rand had said earlier about being tired of fighting. This made Scott wonder if he too just might feel the same after the war here was over. He liked to fight, he couldn’t deny that truth; it made him feel alive, but he also couldn’t deny all the risks and losses that came along with it. You couldn’t have one without the other, and then the next thing he knew, his thoughts drifted back to the loss of his fiancé.

Taking out his holo-locket again, he gazed down at the amulet longingly, tempted to activate her final message one last time just to hear her voice and see her face. It was nothing but torture, and he knew he shouldn’t be doing this to himself; not anymore. As a feeling of utter anguish swept over him, he firmly grasped the locket tightly, wishing he had the strength to crush it and be rid of it for good, as it served as nothing but a painful reminder of what he’d lost and nothing more. It used to give him strength, or at least that’s what he’d managed to convince himself of before, and now that bitter sadness was back, and he deeply regretted the very thought of crushing that locket— it was all he had left of her. Why did grief have to be this complicated?

He sighed, heavy with frustration as he put the locket away again, and looked up the second he thought he’d heard something in the distance. First, he looked in the direction of their camp which was about twenty feet away from where he sat, where he observed his sleeping teammates who were zipped up tight in their sleeping bags around the campfire. Then, his eyes darted over at Lunk’s jeep, where he saw Victoria fast asleep in the front seat, and Maxwell lying on the ground on his left side towards the back of the vehicle. Scott had to wonder how that man even managed to sleep like that with his hands tied behind his back. It must have been difficult, but then again that man had caused them nothing but trouble since the beginning therefore Scott had zero sympathy to give. In fact, he was looking forward to completing their rafts and finally leaving that jerk behind for good. It should have happened long before they even got here, but Scott was trying his best to have patience. Well that patience had run out, and now Scott could care less about what happens to Maxwell.

_The Invid can have him_ , Scott thought coldly then. _Maybe then he’ll regret his actions, and by then it will be too late. We’ll all be long gone._

But while Scott seemed a bit preoccupied with his thoughts, that’s about the time Maxwell felt around on the ground behind himself for that sharp-edged golf ball sized rock again. Feeling it in his grasp once more, he clasped his left hand around it tightly, maneuvering it the best he could in his limited state, and then began quietly scraping it against the rope. He’d only stopped before because he noticed Scott looking in his direction, and had to pretend he was asleep until the coast was clear again. Now that it was, he was right back to it, scraping the rock vigorously, whittling down thread after thread as it began to fray and come loose.

 _Come on, damn you_ , Maxwell grimaced, while also keeping his eye on that leader, who appeared to be looking in the opposite direction for now. There was no telling how long it would take to weaken the rope enough so that Maxwell could pull his hands free, but he wasn’t about to give up, even if it took him all night. And then like a stroke of bad luck, he had to pause again, all because that leader had unexpectedly risen to his feet, and was now making his way over in Maxwell’s direction.

 _Oh Bollocks_ , Maxwell clenched his jaw in frustration, and then shut his eyes, pretending to be fast asleep once more.

From the looks of things, Scott appeared to be doing a quick sweep of the entire campsite, checking to make sure everyone was okay, and of course to make sure there weren’t any threats around. Maxwell watched him through squinted eyes in that moment, panicking the instant when Scott had approached the jeep, and was already trying to hide that rock by tucking it back under himself. However, it seemed as though Scott had no interest in checking on Maxwell at all, instead, he looked to be standing right outside the passenger side of the vehicle, watching Victoria sleep.

 _What a creep_ , Maxwell was thinking then while he waited for Scott to leave again.

A look of sadness filled Scott’s face as he stood there staring at Victoria while she slept in her coat, sitting straight up with her head facing the other way. She had the fur trim of her coat pulled up around her neck to act as a type of padding since it was thick and soft enough, but Scott had a feeling that position couldn’t be too good for her neck, and that’s when he attempted to wake her, softly calling her name as not to frighten her, “Victoria.”

Then in a panic, her eyes shot right open, where she reflexively grabbed for her pistol, and aimed it in the direction of that voice, only to lower it once she noticed Scott standing on the other end.

“What the hell? I could’ve shot you just now,” she whispered angrily, returning to weapon to her side on the seat. “Is everything all right?”

“Fine,” he answered nervously, still a bit taken back from having her pistol drawn on him. “I just wanted to check on you.”

She groaned, throwing her head back against the seat, and shot him an incredulous look. “By sneaking up on me?”

“I tried not to startle you,” he replied sheepishly.

She shook her head at him. “I thought you were Maxwell. I was having a nightmare about him trying to strangle me to death with some vines. Is he still tied up?”

Scott nodded. “He is, so I don’t think you have to worry about him strangling you anytime soon.”

Only, Victoria didn’t appear the least bit convinced. “He wants me dead now for sure.” Then she looked down at her pistol. “You’re lucky the safety was still on this thing, but I’d probably be dead now if it was him instead of you.”

“I don’t think so,” he disagreed. “You seem pretty tough to me. You can handle yourself.”

She gave a half-hearted smile and teased, “Against one man, perhaps?”

 _Oh, get a room already you two_ , Maxwell rolled his eyes in disgust while he listened, before quietly setting back to work on whittling down the rope. At least that leader was distracted by something for now, even if that something turned out to be Maxwell’s former partner in crime. It didn’t matter, the sooner he freed himself the better off he was.

A moment of awkward silence had passed between them, when she suddenly asked, “Have you been up all night? I figured by now you would’ve had someone else take over so you could sleep.”

“I was just about to wake up Rand so he could take over,” Scott answered. “But like I said, I wanted to check up on you before that.” Then he noticed the bruise on her face, just barely visible underneath the makeup, and suddenly felt his hatred for Maxwell flare up once again.

“Rand and I talked,” she mentioned next, pulling him back out of that state of rage. “There’s no more bad blood between us. He understands.”

Scott smiled thinly with relief, and then she added, “I had to make him understand why I did what I did, just as I did with you.” She held his gaze, trying her best to read what he might be thinking in that moment, but she couldn’t. Either she was just too tired, or he was simply doing his best to conceal his true emotions, whatever they were. “You still believe there’s good left in me?”

His face softened and he nodded. “I do. I’ve seen it.”

“If only I could see it for myself,” she sighed hopelessly.“I’ve been in such a dark place for such a long time that when I first ended up in this world with Maxwell, I was so certain that I had died and this was my hell, especially since I couldn’t find Enrique anywhere at all. And then I met all of you, and realized I didn’t have to be who I was anymore. I could be someone new, _different_.”

 _Almost there, almost there_ , Maxwell could feel the rope around his wrists begin to loosen.

“It might take some time but you’ll see it for yourself someday,” Scott added with reassurance. “You just have to let go of the past. Suddenly, he wondered if he might be talking to himself instead of her.

She yawned. “Well that someday can’t come soon enough. Now, if you don’t mind I’m going back to sleep.”

Hearing this, Maxwell froze.

“Goodnight, Long Johns.”

“Goodnight,” Scott smiled down at her as she turned her head away again and started to doze back off.

He stood there a moment longer, beginning to feel as though there was something more he wanted to say, only he couldn’t seem to find the words. But what else could he have said apart from how sorry he was for everything she’d gone through, as well as the kinds of things she believed she had to do just survive back home? It was awful, but he figured the last thing she wanted or needed was anyone feeling sorry for her, or even trying to make her out to be some kind of victim, because she wasn’t. If anything, she was just a survivor like the rest of them, and should be treated as such.

However, Scott couldn’t help but worry about that man she’d talked about earlier; that self proclaimed ruler of hers and Maxwell’s corrupt city, running loose in this world somewhere. Scott figured if the power of that ancient amulet had in fact worked, then it was probable that it had brought everyone else from that city here as well; both the good and the bad. Scott and his team just hadn’t come across any of the others yet, but they were out there. Whether or not they were dead or alive was another question, but after Victoria’s discovery of Enrique’s apron in that desert, it was probably true that some of the others didn’t make it; Morane included, he hoped.

But if that man was still alive, was he even a threat? It was obvious he wouldn’t be a threat to the Invid nor Scott and his team, but to the rest of the innocent people on the planet; most definitely. Just like Victoria had informed Scott earlier, Morane was not only a crass dictator, but also a sadistic killer who took pleasure in the suffering of others. Not only that, but in order for a man of his type to have any kind of power over an entire city he must have either manipulated the people, or used fear and intimidation to get them under his thumb. Where were the military and police in all this? Scott wondered next. Did they exist at all over there or were they possibly in on the corruption as well? There were so many questions that needed answering but would have to wait until later.

At least Victoria knew what that man looked like, and could point him out if she happened to see him during their travels. She wasn’t a soldier, but she still had some usefulness, and in some ways had become something of an adoptive mother to Annie; or was it that Annie had adopted _her_ as her mother? Either way, those two had grown close, and there was no tearing them apart now. Scott knew he’d be foolish to even try. Then again, he had to admit the golden haired vixen in all her over-dramatic glory, had grown a bit on him too. She was a wild card at times, especially with the verbal sparring, which often left Scott feeling like he was the straight-man in some old screwball comedy film. She certainly had that old starlet look about her as well as the attitude, and could even be a bit vain, but underneath it all she truly cared for Scott and his team. Even her silly nickname for him was said out of endearment now instead of spite.

He still wasn’t too fond of it, but had gotten used to it just the same, much like Rand’s constant use of “spaceman.” At least Spaceman was less humiliating.

Turning around, he now made his way over to where Rand was sleeping so that he could wake and have him take over watch for the rest of the night. There was far too much going on inside Scott’s head as it was, to the point that he would need to sleep on it just so he would be able to wake up with a clear mind the next morning. He would need to be in a clear frame of mind in order to deal with all the hard work that lay ahead of them, and of course be on the lookout for the Invid.

Rand appeared to be sleeping like a baby as Scott reached down just then, and gently shook him awake.

“You’re up,” Scott said quietly, trying not to wake up the rest of his teammates.

Rand stretched his arms, and yawned as he slowly unzipped his sleeping bag and sat himself up, taking a quick moment to look around him. He also noticed that Scott didn’t seem to waste any time heading to bed himself, as he eagerly crawled inside his own bedroll, and zipped himself up tight. It was then that Rand happened to notice the dying campfire, so he quickly got up, and headed over to feed it some more wood, all the while trying to not wake anyone up in the process.

Annie stirred a bit in her sleeping bag, and even opened her eyes briefly to see what was going on. Seeing her, Rand raised his index finger to his lips, and then dropped another good sized log into the fire, watching as it suddenly came back to life. Then he looked at Annie once again, and had seen that she’d already gone back to sleep. Now relieved, he walked back over to his bedroll and collected his H90 off the ground, and then turned and made his way on over to Scott’s old watch-site, and sat himself down.

Yawning once more, Rand pressed his back up against the tree, and set the blaster down on the ground on his right, before leaning his head back and closing his eyes. Watching him from the background, Maxwell set to work once again, whittling down the rest of the frayed rope with that rock. Now that Scott had finally gone to bed and left the grunt in charge, freeing himself was going to be a piece of cake. Maxwell could even see that Rand had apparently fallen back asleep against the tree, which meant he wouldn’t be able to see or hear as Maxwell quietly snapped the ropes in that moment, pulling his wrists apart.

Rising to his feet like a menacing shadow, Maxwell glowered at Scott and the others as they slept, before quietly disappearing into the darkness of the jungle-like forest. Rand was still pretty much out cold up against the trunk of the tree as far as Maxwell could tell, and didn’t even react as he cautiously crept his way on over, using the cover of the surrounding foliage as well as the shadows to hide himself, until he was standing right behind the exact tree Rand was positioned at.

Peering out from behind the tree, Maxwell looked down and suddenly spotted Rand’s Mars Gallant blaster lying on the ground beside him. Thinking nothing of it, Maxwell quietly knelt down and quickly snatched the weapon away as Rand groggily uttered a low groan, and then fell right back to sleep.

Rising back up, Maxwell wore a devious smirk as he looked over the strange futuristic gun, surprised by how light-weight the thing actually felt in his hand, but even more surprised over how easy it was to steal from that grunt.

“Ah, finally some leverage at last,” Maxwell whispered victoriously, before taking off and disappearing into the night.


	8. The Lost and Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott and his team set to work with building their rafts, when Maxwell returns for his revenge. The only question is whether or not he will succeed.
> 
> Meanwhile, Morane and his travel companion Gerald stumble across a walled community, but the community leader appears to be hiding some secrets of his own. Has Morane finally met his match?
> 
> Last but not least, Justin and Brian finally wage their war against the Invid, and their actions won't be forgotten either.

The next morning, Rand had just barely opened his eyes when Scott stormed over and grabbed him by the shirtfront, angrily cursing his name while shaking him like a rag-doll.

“You just had to fall asleep, didn’t you!?” Scott seethed, holding him up at eye level.

Rand blinked, utterly confused and oblivious to whatever was going on. “W-what happened?”

“That rat escaped, that’s what!” Scott answered furiously, now dropping Rand on the ground.

Then, as Rand went to reach for his H90 that’s when he noticed it was missing as well. “Uh-oh.”

“What do you mean uh-oh?” Scott narrowed his eyes, now fearing the worst. “Now what is it?”

“He must have taken my blaster too,” Rand replied regretfully, knowing Scott was definitely about to blow his top. “I know I had it with me last night, cause I set it down right here.” He pointed out the exact spot where it had been, amazed that Maxwell would even think to swipe it from him in the first place. Did the guy even know how to use it? Rand didn’t think so, but he knew there was probably no way he could convince Scott of that, especially with as raging mad as he was now.

“Well that’s just great, Rand!” Scott fumed then, not holding back at all. “Not only do we have to worry about the Invid, now we also have to worry about that lunatic running around with your blaster! Could this possibly get any worse?”

“What’s wrong?” Lancer asked worriedly, as he and Rook suddenly hurried over, followed by the others. If they hadn’t been awake before they certainly were now.

“Maxwell’s escaped and he’s got Rand’s blaster,” Scott informed them all.

Rook looked at Rand accusingly. “How’d that creep even take it from you?”

“He took it while I was sleeping,” Rand groaned, already feeling the brunt of her angry stare.

“How’d he even free himself in the first place?” Lancer shot Scott a puzzled look.

“With this rock!” Lunk suddenly announced to them all from behind his jeep, now holding up the sharp-edged rock so they could see it. “He must have used it to cut through the rope somehow.”

Scott groaned in disbelief. “I thought I heard something going on over there last night.”

“And you didn’t think to check it out?” Rand angrily shot back, glaring at him. The two of them looked like they were just seconds away from a physical confrontation.

Even Marlene could sense it, and in her frightened state, raised both of her hands up to her face.

“If anyone’s to blame here then it should be me,” Lunk chimed in regretfully, already dreading the idea of his teammates turning on him. “I probably should’ve used cord to bind his wrists instead of rope. I’m sorry, guys.”

Listening to them all, Lancer could only sigh and shake his head. He hated seeing his teammates at each other’s throats like this, especially when they didn’t need to be. Not to mention, none of this fighting was going to accomplish anything either, and they were simply wasting time instead of putting their focus where it needed to be; on the construction of their rafts so they could get out of here.

“All right everyone, calm down,” he firmly intervened. “The way I see it, either we’re all to blame for Maxwell escaping, or none of us are. But fighting over it isn’t going to make any difference when he shows back up, and that’s what we need to be ready for, especially now that he’s armed.”

Scott gave Lancer an approving nod, reminded of just how thankful he was to have someone so levelheaded and rational on the team. Lancer had always been good at diffusing conflict between them whenever it arose, especially when it came to Scott and Rand; they were both too hot-headed for their own good at times.

However, finding out that Maxwell was armed only seemed to cause Annie panic, and in her frightened state, she clamped onto Marlene’s left arm, holding on tightly. “I don’t want him to come after us! I’m too young to die!”

“So, what do we do then? Rand asked next. “Do some of us take off to track him down, or do we all just stay here and wait till he shows back up, and then deal with him?”

Lancer suddenly turned his attention on Victoria, who was casually standing in the background with her back to them all, smoking a cigarette. “Perhaps Marion Davies over there might have an idea since she knows the jerk better than we do.”

Hearing him, as well as knowing he’d been referring to her specifically, Victoria now turned herself around to face them. “He wouldn’t go far at all, that’s for certain,” she answered plainly, taking a drag from her cigarette. “The man enjoys chaos, most of all creating it. Much like he’s done now with pitting all of you against one another.” She scanned the trees around them in that moment, before slyly adding, “he’s around.”

“Are you telling me that him swiping my weapon was all for show then?” Rand asked, to which she nodded in response.

“If he planned on harming any of us he would’ve already done so last night after he escaped. But instead, he decided to play on your fears, and he must have targeted you specifically, Rand, because he knows you and Scott are quick to argue, and that’s what Maxwell was counting on.”

A chorus of groans had followed afterwards, and Scott even slammed his fist up against a tree in order to vent his growing frustration. Rand felt relieved that Scott had chosen a different outlet than his face, but he could tell his team leader was extremely angry.

“So, this is all just a game to him then,” Scott quipped now shaking his head.

“Well, if that’s the case then I say we quit playing and start getting to work on our rafts,” Lancer suggested next. “If its entertainment the man is looking for we should force him to look elsewhere.”

Rook seemed to be the first to agree with him. “I’m with Lancer on this. We should ignore that creep and focus on what really matters, like us getting the heck out of here for example! We’d be stupid to let that jerk hold us back. He’s done enough of that already.”

Only, Victoria hated to be the bearer of bad news. “If you think that’s going to make him leave you couldn’t be more wrong. You’ve still got something of his he wants back, and until he gets it I’m afraid he’ll be sticking around.”

It wasn’t long until Scott had already figured it out. “His gun, that’s what he wants back.”

Lunk meanwhile, was already checking to make sure the revolver was still right where he’d left it. Thankfully it was, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Rand scoffed. “So if that’s all the man is really after, then why don’t we just give him his stupid gun back already and call it a day?” Heck, maybe that’s the real reason he swiped my blaster, he just wants to trade it to get his gun back?”

“Don’t be so sure,” Scott disagreed. “But I do think Lancer has the right idea on how we approach this. So for now we’ll just ignore that man and focus on our task instead. He’s bound to show up sooner than later, and we’ve already wasted enough time by arguing over it: time that could’ve been spent working.”

The others nodded in unison.

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That morning after a quick breakfast of instant coffee, Gerald and Morane had set off for the city of Mannatan, formerly known as Manhattan, New York. After the result of three alien wars, much of the planet’s continents had changed, which also included some of the city names once they were rebuilt. Gerald had been kind enough to share this info with his new traveling companion, especially once they stopped for a quick break before they would continue on towards a small walled community just ahead of the wooded area.

For now, Morane was doing his best to hide his disgust for this man, even going as far as to feigning his appreciation for the man’s help. It was unfortunate, but Morane still needed him as a guide, and then once he got where he wanted to be, _then_ he’d kill him. As of now it was just too easy, and would’ve been a total waste.

“We could probably rent a room for a night there,” Gerald mentioned, pointing in the direction of the settlement, while Morane sat across the way from him on a large rock, hardly paying him any attention at all. “It will also give us a chance to refuel our supplies as well. We’re going to need more broth mix and water.”

Morane narrowed his eyes at him. He would have preferred being back in his own office at City Hall, or even home in his three-story Victorian mansion, eating a bowl of shepherd’s pie, and reading the daily obituaries just so he could cross off more names on his hit list. Instead, he was stuck on this shithole planet with a hobo who didn’t seem to know his head from his ass, and in the meantime all he could do was grin and bear it. Where was Stan when he needed him? If he could have selected anyone else to be stuck with on this planet, then he would’ve gladly chosen the android. It was more intelligent at least, and could easily kill anybody who looked at him wrong.

“How long will it take to reach the city now?” Morane suddenly asked, already losing his patience.

Gerald pulled out a map from his duffle pack, and unfolded it to show Morane where they currently were in the North American continent. “We’re about two-hundred miles away,” he pointed out with his index finger.

Morane sighed with frustration. _Maybe I should just kill the son of a bitch now._

“But don’t worry, we’re not going to walk all the way,” Gerald added with reassurance.

“Why? Is there a place to rent a vehicle too?” Morane wasn’t even trying to hide his bitterness in his sarcasm.

Gerald seemed oblivious to it. “I was thinking more along the lines of hitching a ride.”

“Hitch a ride?” Morane replied, outraged. “You tellin me people here don’t just hijack vehicles instead?”

“It’s just safer,” Gerald explained. “The Invid like to keep track of those coming or going from the cities; makes it easier to track down any resistance that way.”

“Bah!” Morane gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “These Invid sound like god damned Nazis.”

Gerald chuckled with amusement. “Your comparison isn’t too far off, friend.”

 _I ain’t your fuckin friend_ , Morane thought angrily, wishing he had a cigar in that moment.

“Well, break’s over!” Gerald slapped his knees before standing back up. “Let’s head into town, shall we?”

“As long as they got some booze,” Morane muttered, taking his sweet time in following after him.

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It was only about a twenty minute walk and they reached the gated entrance; a large iron door surrounded by thick wooden walls over ten feet high. It was uncertain if the place even had a name, but Gerald didn’t waste any time once he and Morane arrived, and eagerly banged on the gate, anxiously waiting for someone; anyone to show up, and grant them entry.

While they waited, Morane happened to glance up at the second and third story buildings on the inside, noting their wear and level of filth. Whatever this place was, it was obviously home to the filthy and poor judging from his perception.

 _How disgusting_ , Morane found himself cringing on the inside, when a man dressed in hobo clothing, a lot like Gerald himself, suddenly answered from the other side.

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“My friend and I are looking for a room to rent for one night,” Gerald answered. “And we wish to refuel our supplies.”

There was nothing but silence on the other end, and for a moment Morane had a feeling neither of them were the least bit welcome here.

“Sir?” Gerald desperately called out, when next, the gate opened, and the man motioned for him to come inside, pausing once he noticed Morane.

“You may enter, but keep _him_ out,” the man stated with harshness, eying Morane as if he were Satan himself. “We don’t want any politicians here.”

Gerald couldn’t believe his ears, and neither could Morane for that matter, who in turn, just laughed in a heartily amused manner.

“He’s not like the others,” Gerald informed the man then. “He refuses to serve _them._ ”

“What the man said,” Morane added with a wide smile. “The lot of you stupid fucks might be a bunch of bootlickers here, but I’m certainly not.”

Gerald’s eyes went wide. Had Morane been keeping a lid on his profanity all this time? It sure seemed like it, and it even felt like he was a completely different man from the one he’d found lost in the woods.

The man now met Morane’s stone-cold gaze with a questioning look on his face. “And why are we bootlickers?”

Morane scoffed. “Well, for one, you’re all hiding behind these walls like a bunch of fucking cowards while those aliens rule over your pathetic asses. Need I say more?”

Speechless, the man next looked back at Gerald, who looked just as shocked as he was.

“I’m right aren’t I?” Morane sneered. There was no need to keep his friendly mask on any longer, he had ripped it off like the band-aid it was. “The thing about me is I call things as I see them, and I’m telling ya that you and your people are weak as shit,” he said, and then made it a point to spit right on the ground in front of the man. “Where I come from, the aliens are afraid of their own shadow. Here? They run around like they fucking own the place, and _you_ people let them. Well, _that_ needs to change and you know I’m right.”

Staring back at him, the man now had a look on his face that seemed like a cross between offense and morbid curiosity. There was something about Morane that had struck a chord with him, and now he wanted to learn more about who he was and where he’d come from.

“Fine, you may enter as well,” the man replied in a stoic manner, not taking his eyes off Morane.

Aside from Morane’s vulgar choice of wording, the man, and self appointed leader of this small community found himself utterly intrigued, as this kind of attitude towards the Invid seemed to be few and far these days, and up until now he’d been praying for a miracle to save them; and now he wondered if this foul-mouthed mystery man just might be the answer. He truly hoped he was.

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After deciding they’d already wasted enough time arguing, Scott’s team had finally gotten to work on their raft building. First, starting with Scott handing Rand an axe and telling him to show them his stuff, in which the young forager seemed more than happy to oblige, and second, with everyone else gathering up the rest of the resources needed to construct their rafts; such as vines for cross-members. Annie, Rook, Marlene, and Victoria were already on it, laying out the freshly plucked vines onto the ground so they could divide them up among each other, and begin working on them individually.

Now that the sun was out, the air was already back to being sticky and humid, which only seemed to add to the growing discomfort of working outdoors, but they were all determined to get as much done as they could for today, instead of worrying about when Maxwell might show up.

He was irrelevant as far as they were concerned, and it had already been close to an hour since the issue was last discussed, and even then the man still hadn’t shown his face. Nevertheless, Scott volunteered himself to play look-out, keeping an eye out for Maxwell as well as any passing Invid patrols.

Rand and Lunk on the other hand, had already brought down quite a few trees in that short amount of time, and were already chopping them into the desired lengths they would need. _“Just think of it like a large ski,”_ Rand recalled Scott saying after he’d passed him the axe. At least it didn’t require protoculture to work, but damn if it wasn’t taxing on his energy, and making him wish he had something to help make the labor go by faster. At least Lunk was helping him, while Lancer sat on his butt with the girls, and Scott stood watching guard.

 _Why wasn’t he or Lancer helping?_ Rand thought with frustration. _Was Lancer too afraid of breaking a nail?_

Annie meanwhile, sat opposite of Victoria as they laid out the vines and began tying and knotting them together. Thankfully, the trees had provided them with just enough shade to cool them down, but the humidity was still all but aggravating, and Victoria found herself stopping often in order to wipe away the sweat from her face before continuing. Yet, ever so often, a cool breeze would make its way through and give them just enough relief to resume their work.

“I do wish we had a fan or something out here,” Victoria griped, wiping away more sweat from her face. “Or even a radio to listen to for that matter. I do miss music, even those chorus girls back home, The Jazzettes. I’d be happy to even listen to them, just something.”

“Who are they?” Annie paused and asked curiously.

“Just a famous musical quartet back home,” Victoria answered, reminiscing over the first song of theirs she ever heard. They’re about as famous as your Yellow Dancer is here.”

“Sounds like an interesting group,” Lancer commented with intrigue from the other side. He’d been thinking of trying to sneak away from the others to do a little sunbathing by the river, but with Maxwell running loose, and possibly stalking them, he decided it was probably smarter to stay with the team and help them, even if that meant he had to get his fingernails dirty. “Do you know any of their songs?”

Victoria chuckled softly, flashing a wry smile. “Maybe I do? Is that an invitation for me to sing?”

“Only if you want to?” Lancer shrugged. “But I’d rather listen to someone else sing for once instead of me.”

“Too bad I don’t have a ukulele,” she teased playfully, and then took a moment to remember the lyrics to one of the songs. Once it came to her, she could even hear that jazzy intro inside her head as though she were actually listening to it in that moment.

_“All aboard the Sugar Daddy express, so kick off your shoes and he’ll do the rest. With a bottle of wine, dinner at nine, welcome to the Sugar Daddy express.”_

Realizing those lyrics probably weren’t the most appropriate she suddenly stopped, and shot Annie an apologetic look. “On second thought, maybe that one isn’t the most age appropriate for you, dear.”

Even Lancer had to agree with her there, despite trying to stifle his laughter, but that only made Annie more curious.

“What’s a sugar daddy?” She now asked in all her innocent glory.

Rand was already shaking his head in the background, while he and Lunk continued chopping down the trees. “You just had to get her started, didn’t you?”

Victoria stuck her tongue out at him, and then turned back to Annie, who was eagerly awaiting the explanation.

“Well, Annie,” Victoria began awkwardly, feeling like she was giving her the talk about the birds and the bees. “A sugar daddy is an older man who likes to dote on younger women.”

“Like a boyfriend?” Annie perked up, already sounding excited as could be.

Victoria shook her head. “Not exactly the same, no. You see, a boyfriend is a man who loves you, while a sugar daddy is a man who keeps you around for the sake of being seen with you. He doesn’t love you, or know how to love at all for that matter. He does expect things in return for the money he spends on you though.”

Lancer was already shaking his head at her in that moment, as a sign he didn’t want her going into any further detail than that. She must have agreed as well, because she’d already gone silent, when Annie next asked, “Did you ever have a sugar daddy?”

Rook was even beginning to look a little disturbed by this topic of conversation, while Marlene sat quietly listening, clueless as could be.

In a despondent manner, Victoria lowered her gaze back down to the vines in front of her again. “Yes I did, but I was a lot younger and didn’t know any better.”

“What about a boyfriend?” Annie wondered. “Were you ever in love with someone?”

Victoria thought about it for a moment, recalling a face just then as it flashed through her memory; the face of some man she had met briefly at one of her premiere parties. “Kind of, I suppose,” she shot Annie a quizzical look. “Why the sudden interest in my love life?”

Annie shrugged. “Just curious, so tell me more!” She pressed her hands together and smiled excitedly.

Victoria chuckled softly, looking down at the knotted vines in her hands once more. “I met someone once, but I never got his name.”

“Then how did you know you were in love?”

Victoria sighed deeply. “I saw something in his eyes that day, something I’ve never forgotten. Why, I even wrote a song to him after that.”

“Did you ever sing it to him?”

“I wanted to include it in one of my films as a message to him, but the studio was against it,” Victoria answered sadly. “I still know it though, if you’d like to hear?”

“Sure!” Annie happily exclaimed.

Now with a dreamy look in her eyes, Victoria then pictured the face of that tall and mysterious fan she’d met one day outside the Glamour Theater, who unbeknownst to her, had been none other than William Sterling; her secret admirer. Then, as the memory of that moment replayed in her mind, she imagined they were face to face again, and that’s when she heard the magical intro of a harp playing softly in the background before she imagined herself singing to him in the most tender loving voice; singing from her heart.

_I swear I know you from a dream_

_Same adoring smile, and heavenly gleam_

_Eyes as blue as the sky, how they got lost in mine_

_Now I know I’ve seen you before_

_I swear it must be love I feel_

_I’m floating on cloud nine_

_My heart tells me it is real_

_Your eyes as blue as the sky, forever lost in mine_

_Now I know I’ve seen you before_

_Time after time I’m waiting_

_Night after night I’m praying_

_That the next time I’d open my eyes, and see you there beside me_

_I know as crazy as it seems_

_My heart runs wild yet it’s only a dream_

_But your eyes as blue as the sky, now they are lost in mine_

_Now I know I’ve seen you before_

_Now I know I’ve seen you before_

There was a notable look of sadness in her eyes as the song ended, and Victoria even had to take a moment to collect herself before coming back to reality.

“He sounds like a real dreamboat,” Annie sighed deeply, letting her imagination run wild.

“That was very lovely,” Lancer commented a moment later with a relaxed smile. “I never would’ve guessed you were a soprano. You have a nice singing voice. You should sing more often.”

“Thanks,” Victoria smiled modestly. “Of course I’m only good when it comes from deep within my soul. Other times I need to be drunk, same goes for my acting.”

And then Lancer felt the need to point something else out. “Your style of singing reminds me of those old black and white romance movies, just like your clothing and the way you style your hair. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you must have stepped right out of a time machine, Miss Victoria.

“I suppose I’ll just take that as a compliment,” she replied, humbled. “Well, where I’m from we’re kind of stuck in the past. You see, the visionary behind our great city never wanted the jazz age to end, so our culture has stayed the same for a hundred years; including our music and films; which are in fact black and white. I’ve even starred in one where my character was stranded in a jungle a lot like this one,” she gestured towards trees around them. “But at least that character was smart enough to keep some spare clothes around.” Then she looked down at her dress. “I can’t imagine how dirty this garment must be by now. I’m sure it could use a washing. And so could _I_ for that matter.”

Lancer chuckled softly. “Well, you’re in luck, because it just so happens that Yellow Dancer has some spare clothes you could borrow.”

“Really now?” Victoria’s eyes lit up.

He nodded. “I can also show you how to rig a makeshift shower too.”

“Lancer, dear, you are too sweet to me,” Victoria gushed, and then looked over at Annie. “You don’t mind if I take a quick break to wash up, do ya, dear?”

Annie shook her head. “No, go right ahead.”

“Thanks, Annie,” Victoria smiled sweetly, patting her head, and then stood up to follow Lancer as he made his way over to Lunk’s jeep.

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Reaching inside the bed of the jeep, Lancer pulled out a fairly large suitcase, and popped it open so that he and Victoria could look through it and possibly find something that would fit her small frame. Even when disguised as Yellow, Lancer was still pretty tall for a woman therefore none of the pants were going to fit the petite blonde. Still, Victoria was amazed over the assortment of colors she saw; Yellow Dancer had a very unique wardrobe herself it seemed.

“Here, I think this might be a good match,” Lancer said, pulling out a lovely long blue dress with spaghetti straps, and handed it over to her.

Holding the dress up against herself, she looked down at it and nodded approvingly. “I must say, you do have great taste.”

Lancer smiled. “There’s a matching turban where that came from.”

“Open Sesame,” she joked. “Now, about that shower?”

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Meanwhile, Rand and Lunk were already beginning to lay out the logs on the ground so they could start forming the general shape of the raft. Scott stood by, pleased over how quickly things seemed to be coming together. His only regret was that they hadn’t started sooner, or else they could’ve gotten a lot farther in their progress. Still, progress was progress no matter how he looked at it, but he was utterly surprised that Maxwell hadn’t shown his face yet. He had to be around somewhere. Victoria said he would be, especially since he wanted his gun back.

 _Maybe he fell in a ditch somewhere_ , Scott thought, hopeful that something bad had happened to that spider legged menace to get him out of their hair for good.

Surveying the area around him, Scott looked in the direction where Annie, Rook, and Marlene were sitting, still working on the cross-members. Annie was even helping Marlene out by showing her how it was done. It was nice to see Marlene come out of her shell and smile more. She seemed more human that way, and a lot less like another victim of the Invid war. Scott had always felt sorry for what she must have been through, but he was glad she had survived. The only issue he seemed to experience was the unsettling fact that Marlene resembled _his_ Marlene in a lot of ways, especially her eyes and voice; they were eerily similar. At times, he even wondered if the universe might be playing some sort of cruel joke on him. What else could it be?

Then just as he dreaded, those painful memories flooded his mind, especially when he noticed Marlene smiling at him specifically, as though she’d been aware he was watching her. Why did she have to remind him so much of his beloved fiancé? Why?

Listening to Victoria’s song earlier didn’t seem to help matters either. It only depressed him more, because it reminded him that she still possibly had someone left to find, and he didn’t have anyone; not anymore. His Marlene was nothing more than a ghost who haunted his dreams some nights, especially during the nightmares of having to relive his horror all over again. It made him bitter, even a bit jealous. It just wasn’t fair. Then, he happened to glimpse Lancer looking to be carrying something in his hands before disappearing into the foliage. _What was he doing?_ Scott wondered now, relieved he finally had something else to focus his attention on.

After several minutes had passed, Lancer re-emerged from the trees again, and headed back over to Lunk’s jeep to retrieve something else. Scott continued to watch him, still wondering what he was up to, when the next thing he knew, a blood curdling scream had erupted from within the trees, scaring the daylights out of everyone.

Now on high alert, they all suddenly stopped what they were doing, and looked in the direction the scream had come from, wondering what must have happened. Rand was the first to take off and investigate, still carrying the axe in his hand. Scott followed immediately after, his H90 un-holstered and at the ready. Lancer and Rook weren’t too far behind either, and neither was Lunk, while Annie and Marlene had chosen to stay behind just in case it wasn’t safe.

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Rand had been the first to arrive on the scene, now wielding his axe like a battle weapon as he anxiously searched around for the source of the problem, just to spy a frightened Victoria peeking out from behind one of the trees. Her hair was soaking wet, looking as though she had just taken a shower out here, and then Rand noticed something else; she wasn’t wearing any clothes. Suddenly, his face turned bright red with embarrassment, and that’s about the time when Scott and the others arrived too.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Scott demanded to know.

Shivering from the cold air, Victoria hid herself behind the tree and pointed down at the ground at a very large looking spider; a tarantula. “That!” She shrieked, and then recoiled from disgust once she realized she’d attracted quite the audience here. “Can someone please get me a towel?”

Rand couldn’t believe it; all this drama over a single spider? Granted it was a large one, but still. “What is it with you women and your fear of bugs?” Rand remarked as he went ahead and brought the axe down on the tarantula, killing it instantly.

“They’re disgusting,” Rook answered, shuddering over the sight of that dead one. “I would’ve screamed bloody murder too if I looked down and saw that thing.”

Rand scoffed dismissively. “The poor thing was probably just thirsty or it wanted a shower too.”

“Hello?” Victoria curtly interrupted, using her arms to cover up her breasts as she peeked out from behind the tree again. “A towel would really be nice right about now!”

“Coming right up,” Lancer replied before taking off.

Rook meanwhile, was already trying to drag Rand back to the camp by his arm. She had a feeling he was enjoying seeing Victoria in her birthday suit just a little too much. “Come on, Rand let’s give the woman her privacy.”

“But what if another spider shows up, or even Maxwell?” Rand countered, doing his best to convince Rook that Victoria needed a look-out, only she wasn’t buying it in the least.

“Yeah right, and I’m sure it has _nothing_ to do with you wanting to stay behind because she’s naked, huh?”

Rand had to admit Rook had him there.

“Don’t worry I’ll stay until Lancer returns,” Scott announced then, turning himself around so that the woman had her privacy.

“See? Problem solved, now let’s go, country boy,” Rook quipped, pulling Rand along.

Once they had left, there was nothing but awkward silence, until a few minutes later when Scott nervously asked, “Are you all right?”

“Fine,” Victoria sighed with bitterness. “I didn’t mean to scream like that, but when I saw that damned thing crawling on the ground at my feet, I just about had a heart attack.”

Scott then recalled his own unpleasant encounter with a large spider, when it had landed right on his H90 during a confrontation with a bear. “I don’t care for those things either. I’m glad it wasn’t something else, or that partner of yours.”

She scoffed. “If it was him then _he’d_ the one screaming.”

Scott laughed, and then a moment later said, “We appreciate your help by the way.”

“I’m just sorry I can’t do more.”

“What you’re doing is enough for now,” he responded in kind, despite the awkwardness of this entire situation; her hiding naked behind a tree, and him standing with his back to her doing his best not to come across like some kind of creep. It felt a lot like some comedy scene from a movie.

“You mean singing and sitting on my butt?” She remarked with sarcasm. “I didn’t get much work done at all.”

“Well, once you’re dressed again you can get back to it.”

“Can I now?” She scoffed at him. “You trying to boss me around there, Long-Johns? And what the hell is taking Lancer so long with that towel? I’m gonna be an old lady by the time he gets back.”

Scott was just about to say something else, when Lancer soon arrived with a couple towels as well as the dress he was lending to Victoria.

“Well it’s about time,” Victoria quickly snatched the first towel from Lancer’s hand, and wrapped it around herself.

Lancer chuckled and then exchanged looks with Scott. “Sorry about that, hopefully you two had a nice chat.”

She groaned as she stepped out from behind the tree with the first towel around her body, and then Lancer handed her the second towel for her hair.

“Thank you,” she kindly accepted, then began towel- drying her hair. “Say, you wouldn’t happen to have any hair curlers too, now would you?”

Lancer shook his head. “Sorry I don’t.”

“Well, now that you’re here I think I’ll head back,” Scott mentioned then before taking off.

Lancer nodded at him, and then turned around to see how the former starlet was doing. He could already see she’d slipped the dress over herself and was busy smoothing out some of the wrinkles in the fabric. Then, once she noticed him looking at her she nervously asked, “How does it look?”

“That dress fits you like a dream,” he replied in awe, looking her up and down. He’d always found her to be very stunning, but there was just something about seeing her in one of Yellow Dancer’s dresses that brought out her goddess like figure. He could actually see the curvature of her wide hips unlike her old drop-waist dress which had hidden it so well, leaving everything to the imagination.

Elated, she struck a seductive pose and laughed, tossing her hair. It was already beginning to air-dry, but was still just as voluminous and wavy as ever. “Does this dress make my butt look big?” She teased, now sticking out her rump. “I’ve always been told I have a big ass.”

Lancer chuckled again and shook his head at her. “It looks normal sized to me.”

She snorted, shaking her head. “You’re just too sweet to me, you know that?”

“Hmm, It feels like there’s still something missing,” he noted pensively, giving her another once over before it suddenly hit him. “I know!” He snapped his fingers and then motioned her to follow after him.

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Back at the campsite, Rand and Lunk were now in the midst of assembling the first raft, tying the logs together using the first set of cross-members Rook, Annie, and Marlene had made. Everything appeared to be going smoothly, and the girls were already at it making another batch for the other end. As it turned out, they were going to need more than two rafts if they planned on hauling all their mecha along. Lunk had already done the math and figured they would require at least four in total; and with some kind of pulley system too. With the way things were looking, they would probably finish the first raft as well as part of the second one for today, and that was good enough.

There were now several tree stumps left behind along the edge of the clearing, and Annie was even perched atop one of them, hard at work tying more of the vines together. She hated to admit it, but all the excitement she once felt about this little project had seemingly dissipated, and now she just felt like she was stuck doing some long boring chore. _So much for my dream of becoming a jungle princess_ , she sighed hopelessly. _I’m already sick of this place._

Just then, she heard a twig snap and quickly checked behind her. There was nothing as far as she could see. _Maybe it’s just some jungle critter?_ She thought then, now turning her attention back to her task at hand, until she suddenly heard the snapping sound again, and stopped. _Okay, what’s going on here now?_ She began to worry, keeping her eyes glued on the trees in the background, until she decided it was probably nothing. She muttered to herself, and then set back to work, when she soon heard it again, only this time it sounded a lot closer than before. Now she was beginning to feel a bit scared.

Nervously, her eyes scanned the trees behind her, and then they darted over to where Rand, Lunk, and Scott were still busy working on the first raft. They obviously hadn’t heard the sounds at all. Then, Annie looked in the direction where Rook and Marlene were sitting. They too apparently hadn’t heard a thing, which either meant it was all in Annie’s head, or they were all too distracted with their work to even pay attention.

“Ammon, is that you?” Annie then whispered into the trees, hoping for a reply. Hearing nothing, she slowly stood up from the stump, and cautiously made her way into the jungle-like forest. She could feel her heart racing inside her chest with each step she took.

 _This is stupid I shouldn’t be walking in here alone, Maxwell is still out there. What if it’s him?_ Lost in her thoughts, she was suddenly startled again by another sound of snapping twigs, and anxiously looked down.

A lizard?

She pulled a face as she watched the medium sized reptile scamper on by, watching as it flicked its forked tongue before it disappeared deeper into the jungle. _False alarm_ , she breathed a sigh of relief, ready to turn back around, when all of a sudden, she heard the sound of crunching leaves and immediately looked up. There, she spied Maxwell creepily smiling down at her with a wide Cheshire like grin.

“Not so fast, pipsqueak,” he smirked now pointing Rand’s H90 right at her face.

Annie gulped.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

“Now, this should do it,” Lancer said to Victoria as he placed a triple pearl collar around her neck, and fastened it.

She held up her compact mirror to admire the necklace. “It’s beautiful, Lancer,” she replied with adoration. “You really do know your fashion, don’t you? What’s next, are you going to do my makeup too?” She playfully teased.

He laughed and smiled, and then gently lowered his hands to her shoulders, which instantly made her flinch and pull away.

“I’m sorry,” she was quick to apologize once she’d realized what she had just done.

“It’s okay, I understand,” he acknowledged with a knowing frown.

She then turned around to face him. “Has Yellow Dancer ever been grabbed or propositioned before?”

Lancer nodded solemnly.

“How did she get out of it?” Victoria asked.

“Well, when they wouldn’t take no for an answer _she_ was forced to beat them up,” he replied, matter-of-fact.

“At least she was strong enough,” Victoria sighed, lowering her head with shame, when he next placed his finger under her chin, and gently lifted her head back up so that he could look into her eyes.

“It’s okay that’s all in the past,” he said softly. “You’re here now, with us. You’re safe.”

Her eyes welled with tears, and in that moment all she wanted to do was be held by him, and he must have sensed it, because the next thing she knew he’d wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him.

Silently, she cried.

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“Nobody move!” They all heard now, prompting them to stop what they were doing and look in the direction where that voice had come from.

They saw Maxwell standing on the outer edge of the jungle-forest, with his left arm snaked around Annie’s neck and the other pressing Rand’s blaster to her temple. A look of utter fear and panic filled their faces.

“Don’t you dare hurt her!” Rand warned with a growl, as he attempted to storm on over, when Maxwell loudly clicked his tongue at him.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Take another step and the little pipsqueak here gets it!”

Rand stopped in his tracks, but the anger was still evident on his face.

“What do you want?” Scott narrowed his eyes, taking a stand beside Rand.

Maxwell sneered, tightening his hold around Annie’s neck. She struggled in his grasp, when he pressed the muzzle of the blaster even harder against her head. “Stop that squirming!” He snapped at her, and then turned his attention back on Scott, who was already giving him a deadly glare.

 _If looks could kill_ , Maxwell thought with amusement, admiring the view of angry and fearful looks staring back at him. Even Lancer and Victoria had broken their embrace, and were heading over to join the others.

“I’ll tell you what I want,” Maxwell smirked, staring him down. “All of you, form a line in front of me now!”

Confused, they exchanged looks with one another, and then grudgingly did as Maxwell demanded, forming a line, beginning with a frightened Marlene, and ending with a defiant looking Lunk.

“Nice new getup by the way, Miss Thompson,” Maxwell remarked condescendingly, putting his former partner in crime on the spot. She shot him a look of disgust as she stood between Lancer and Lunk.

“Now what?” Scott demanded next. “We’ve formed a line just like you asked.”

Maxwell grinned menacingly. “I want all your weapons on the ground, now!”

Rook huffed as she removed her blaster from its holster on her hip, and set it down on the ground in front of her. Everyone else who still had their weapons on them did the same.

“Done,” Scott announced, after he’d just placed his H90 on the ground and rose back up. “What next?”

Maxwell chortled, while Annie quietly whimpered, her fearful eyes flickering from each one of her teammate’s faces.

Rand burned with anger, helpless to do anything to save her.

“Now, I want you all to get down on your knees,” Maxwell ordered.

Grudgingly, they all did as they were told.

“Anything else?” Scott quipped, not even hiding his disdain for this man.

“Bow to me!” Maxwell ordered then, which only seemed to trigger a series of ridiculous looks from all of them.

“Is he serious?” Lunk remarked incredulously, eyeing the others. “He can’t be serious.”

Shaking his head, Scott barked, “No!”

“Not an option!” Maxwell fired back, practically choking the poor teenager with his arm. “You will all bow down to me, or the little brat here will be off to heaven, or _hell_ ,” he added with a sinister grin. “What you all do now depends on whether she lives or dies, so I wouldn’t be stupid if I were you.”

Reluctantly, Scott and the others bowed before Maxwell, cringing the entire time.

“This is so embarrassing,” Rook grumbled under her breath, wishing someone would just put her out of her misery already.

“What’s next, is he gonna ask us all to hop on one leg?” Rand quipped.

Seeing them all do his bidding made Maxwell cackle with a fiendish delight, and he wondered what other kinds of torture he could force upon them. _So, this is what it must feel like to be the man himself. Who would’ve known it would be so much fun?_

“All right, we’ve done everything you asked, now enough of these _stupid_ games!” Scott roared as he sat back up. “You want your gun back, is that it?”

Maxwell gritted his teeth. “That’s one of my requirements, yes.”

Scott then turned to Lunk. “Get his gun.”

Lunk nodded, and then stood back up and headed off to his vehicle. It didn’t take him very long and he returned rather quickly, where he next walked up to Maxwell, and tossed the revolver at his feet. Maxwell thanked him graciously.

“All right, you have your gun back, what’s your other demand?” Scott asked.

“Miss Thompson,” Maxwell smirked, looking right at her. “She also comes with me.”

Scott furrowed his brow.

“She doesn’t want to come with you!” Rand shouted furiously. “So just take your stupid gun and _go!_ ”

Maxwell clicked his tongue again. Rand was already sick to death of hearing that noise to the point he would gladly strangle that man with his bare hands.

“Again, not an option,” Maxwell coldly reminded them all. “Miss Thompson’s life in exchange for the pipsqueak’s. That’s a fair trade, wouldn’t you agree?”

But before anyone else could speak up, Victoria suddenly announced, “It’s all right. I’ll go with him.” She raised her hands and slowly stood back up. “Her life is worth more than mine anyway, and if my dying means that she lives, then that’s a sacrifice I’d gladly make.”

Annie’s eyes flooded with tears in that moment and she struggled in Maxwell’s grasp once more.

“Are you sure about this?” Scott looked up at Victoria with a panic-stricken face. “Maybe we can figure out another way?” He was beginning to feel that same helpless feeling he’d experienced back when his fiancé and her crew were burned alive in their ship. It was that horrible feeling of knowing someone else was going to die and he would be powerless to stop it.

She sighed sadly as she shook her head. “I’m sorry, Long-Johns, but this is just the way it has to be. I know what you did for me and it was the most selfless thing anyone has ever done,” she smiled sweetly. “You tried to save me from myself, and I thank you for that.” She then bent down and gently kissed him on the forehead. “Try to be a little less serious all the time, all right” she smiled through tears, and then turned to Lancer. “I won’t forget the kindness you’ve shown me, either.” She took a hold of his outstretched hand, and gave it a firm squeeze. “Maybe you could perform my song one day as Yellow’s next biggest hit?”

Lancer nodded, and wiped the tears from his eyes. His teammates were feeling just as devastated as he was. Marlene even found herself shedding tears over what was about to happen. And while she might have not understood everything, she didn’t like the way it made her feel inside. It didn’t feel right at all.

Then last but not least, Victoria looked over at Rand, who was looking just as heartbroken as the rest. “You be good to Rook now, or else I’m going to come back as a ghost and haunt you.” She was smiling but he wasn’t; he couldn’t, though he nodded just the same.

“All of you take care of each other,” Victoria said glimpsing every one of their faces, before turning herself around and making her way over to where Maxwell was.

“Well, it’s about time,” Maxwell quipped angrily, now releasing and shoving Annie to the ground, before he reached down to collect his revolver, giving it a good dusting before pulling back the hammer and pressing the muzzle against the back of Victoria’s head.

She flinched, first looking down at Annie, and then over at the others as they all watched helpless to do anything to stop it.

“Not here, Maxwell,” Victoria grunted, shaking her head. “Don’t force them to watch, they’ve all suffered enough, just take me for the long walk just as a real criminal would do. If I’m going to go, I’d rather be taken out in the open somewhere where nobody will find me. After all, that’s how Morane would do it, and you want to be just like him, right?”

Maxwell muttered with frustration before deciding she was right. It was the way Morane preferred to do things. “Is that your final request then?”

Victoria nodded, as Annie sat on the ground, watching tearfully. “Execution style.”

Maxwell smirked, and then held up Rand’s H90 with his other hand, as though to show off that he still had it in his possession. “Of course I haven’t forgotten about the rest of you.” He first looked back at Scott, and the others, just to be met with a series of searing glares. They hadn’t even bothered rising back to their feet just in case Maxwell was planning on using that as an excuse to threaten Annie again.

“Now, Miss Thompson and I shall be on our way,” Maxwell announced then, but not before holding the blaster up to his face and switching the thing online, immediately activating the last of the protoculture energy cell inside it.

Scott couldn’t believe it, and neither could anyone else for that matter.

“Whoops!” Maxwell exclaimed rather carelessly, before tossing the blaster onto the ground. “In the meantime, have fun with those Invid,” he laughed cruelly, and then shoved Victoria into the trees all the while barking at her, “Move it!”

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Just as expected, a nearby patrol of Invid shock troopers had already homed in on the location of the blaster, and were now on their way to investigate.

“Find them and destroy them!” The Invid Queen ordered, already wondering why her telepathic link with Ariel the simulagent, had been cut off. Had the humans discovered what she was and eliminated her? The Regis couldn’t begin to imagine what must have become of her dear child. The only thing she knew was that something was wrong.

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Now overcome with grief, Scott and his teammates sat in silence, wondering how they were going to get out of this. They didn’t even have enough protoculture left to do battle with the Invid once they arrived.

“We can’t fight them,” Scott sighed with frustration, now rising back up to his feet. “Even if it’s just one, we don’t have enough firepower left.”

“So, what do we do then?” Rand asked, worried as could be.

“We’ll just have to hide,” Scott answered with defeat, doing a quick survey of the area. “We’ll take to the trees and wait for them to leave. With any luck they’ll assume it was just a false alarm and nothing more.”

Lancer nodded approvingly. “Good idea. It’s the only thing we can do at this point.”

Annie cried as Rook cradled her. “We have to save Victoria. He’s going to kill her we have to stop him!”

Their expressions turned grave.

“We have to!” Annie insisted, already frustrated with their reluctance to back her up.

Lunk suddenly began chuckling, and everyone looked at him as though he were insane.

“There’s nothing funny about this!” Rand snapped at him, balling his fists.

“Yeah, Lunk, what’s your problem?” Rook quipped in disbelief.

Lunk smirked. “Only the fact that Maxwell is _not_ going to kill Victoria.”

“What do you mean?” Scott asked, now hopeful.

“Only this,” Lunk suddenly opened up his right hand to reveal a palm full of cylinder bullets. “Did you actually think I was going to return a loaded gun back to _that_ man? Heck no! I made sure to empty the entire chamber before I gave it back to him, and boy is he in for a big surprise when he tries to use it.”

“Lunk, you magnificent bastard!” Rand cried out joyously, pumping his fist in the air.

Scott felt ecstatic as did Lancer.

“Boy, you sure pulled one over on him, didn’t you?” Rook laughed, savoring the moment when Maxwell would discover his revolver had no bullets.

“Hey, it ain’t our fault if he was too stupid to check and see if it was loaded before he left,” Rand remarked wryly.

Annie also rejoiced. “Yipee!”

Unfortunately, they weren’t given much time to celebrate, especially once Rand suddenly looked up and spied a lone shock trooper passing overhead, now poising itself to come right down through one of the large openings in the valley roof.

“We’ll have to celebrate some other time, right now we gotta move!”

After scooping up his blaster, Rand and the others took off into the jungle-forest, and dove behind the trees, now watching as the shock trooper suddenly landed and began scanning the area with its red eye, when another moment later, two more had joined it.

“Good thing we decided to sit this one out, huh Scott?” Rand whispered.

Scanning the environment, the three shock troopers could definitely tell there had been some recent human activity here, especially since Scott and the others had forgotten to hide the evidence of their raft building project. However, they hadn’t forgotten to hide their mecha, which was concealed by the surrounding foliage a good distance away from their camp.

Stomping around, the shock troopers desperately searched for the source of the protoculture, only to be met with confusion when they realized there wasn’t anything at all. Yet, how could that be? This was the exact location they’d homed in on. Where was it?

Scott and the others meanwhile remained quiet, watching through the foliage. Marlene stared frightfully at the shock troopers, and then gazed down at the Seba around her neck, curling her fingers around the scarab amulet, when she heard a voice coming from behind her.

 _“They’re also looking for you,”_ the voice said.

Confused, Marlene peered over her shoulder, but didn’t see anyone there at all. _That voice_ , she thought now as the recognition dawned on her. _It’s you isn’t it? The one they call Ammon._

 _“You don’t know what you are but I do,”_ the voice continued, causing her further puzzlement.

 _Why are they looking for me?_ Marlene thought, surprised that Ammon actually knew what she was thinking. She briefly recalled hearing another voice inside her head a while back, a woman’s voice of some unknown origin that would scream with rage at her at times. _What do they want with me? What have I done?_ Panic had already begun to set in, and she was desperate for answers.

 _“Fire,”_ the voice answered after a period of silence. _“That is where you’ll find me.”_

 _I don’t understand_. Marlene bowed her head, wondering what exactly he expected her to do with fire. She’d only known what it was and what it was used for after observing how the people she’d been traveling with had interacted with it, or even made it appear; like some kind of magic.

_“Look into it.”_

Her dark eyes widened and she gasped.

Turning her attention back to the three shock troopers, she noticed they’d already called it quits and had taken back off. She could hear her teammates sighing with relief as well.

“Are they gone for good?” Annie poked her head out from behind the tree.

“I think so,” Rand answered her, checking just to be sure, before giving the all-clear signal with his right hand.

A wave of relief washed over them all, and they quietly emerged from the forest, thankful that their plan had worked.

“Now, let’s go get Victoria back!” Scott announced to his team then.

Annie’s face brightened and she leapt with joy.

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“Keep it moving!” Maxwell snarled as he shoved Victoria forward with his free hand, causing her to trip on the rocky landscape of the plateau they had soon come across. They had already walked a good two or three miles out so far, and had come to an open area where the sounds of rushing water seemed to grow louder by the minute; sounding a lot like a waterfall or fountain to their ears. Focusing on that and nothing more, Victoria began to feel as though her impending death was going to be a peaceful one.

 _Better than him killing me in front of my poor friends_ , she thought then, beginning to wonder just how far out he planned on taking her just to get the job done. Her feet were already beginning to ache as it was, reminding her of when she first ended up in this world and how unpleasant the walking experience had been then. Looking back on that, suddenly her memory flashed back to when she first came across Rand and the others.

She remembered that dopey yet curious look on Rand’s face after he’d lifted up the visor of his helmet; it was something she couldn’t forget. Then, she thought about the first time she’d met the others too, and now a feeling of pain and sorrow washed over her and her vision became blurred with tears; but she couldn’t stop walking. Maxwell wouldn’t let her.

 _Maybe I can still reason with him?_ She thought next, wondering if there might be any humanity at all left in her former partner. She didn’t believe so, but wasn’t about to give up completely.

Wiping the tears out of her eyes, she sighed deep, bracing herself for what might come after she dared to speak with him. “What I did wasn’t done out of malice for you,” she tried explaining. “They needed to know the truth about us, Maxwell. It wasn’t fair that we kept it from them like that, and you know it.”

Hearing her sad pathetic attempt at trying to talk him out of killing her, he rolled his eyes. “Nice try, trying to save your own arse are we, hmm? Keep moving until I tell you to stop.”

She suddenly noticed they were coming right up on the edge of a cliff, and panic immediately shot through her like a series of bullets.

_Oh my god, he’s going to shoot me dead and push my corpse over the edge, isn’t he?_

“We’re reaching the end of a cliff, Maxwell,” she then pointed out. “Do you expect me to jump or what?”

“No, Miss Thompson, I expect you to die,” he sneered.

She cringed. “Now, why does that sound like something out of a bad movie?”

“On your knees,” he now ordered, choosing to ignore her backtalk.

“No blindfold?” She quipped over her shoulder.

“Oh, quit your bloody yacking already!” He fumed, waving his gun around. “You brought this on yourself. You’ve no one else to blame!”

She groaned as she got down on her knees, facing the cliff’s edge and hearing the roaring sound of the waterfall coming from down below.

“I pray the others made it after what you did to them.” She furrowed her brow. “You told them you only wanted your gun and me. Siccing the Invid on them wasn’t part of that deal, now was it?”

He chuckled with twisted delight, causing her stomach to knot up.

“Well, you saw how much they cared about you, didn’t even try to stop me.”

“Because I told them not to,” she bitterly countered. “And if you hadn’t summoned the Invid like the stupid coward you are, then they’d probably be on their way right now to try and stop you.”

Maxwell snorted. “Silly me.”

Groaning with disgust, she shook her head. “You know what the problem with you is? You’ve never been grateful for _anything_ anyone has ever done for you, not even once. Those people gave you every opportunity to try and redeem yourself and you _wasted_ it, all because you’re still stuck on _his_ ass like glue. And I gotta hand it to ya honestly, for being such a dedicated ass-kisser. Now that takes some real talent, doesn’t it, Mr. Graham?”

Seething with rage, he stormed over and pressed the barrel of his revolver against the back of her head.

“This isn’t going to be a game of Russian Roulette, Miss Thompson. All it takes is one bullet to put you down like the annoying _tramp_ that you are! And guess what? There’s a round in every chamber, so if I decide to you shoot you twice, well then, you’ll just end up twice as dead now won’t you?”

She huffed. “You know, for someone who wants to kill me and be done with it you sure do a lot of talking. And even after you do kill me, they’re still going to come after you and you know it!”

“Oh, just let them try!” He growled with ferocity, violently forcing her head down onto the ground until the right side of her face was pressed up against the coarse granite surface. “At the very least I can die with dignity knowing you’re waiting for me in hell.”

She winced with pain, as the rocky texture pressed right up against her already bruised face.

“Enough chit-chat, time to say fare-well, Miss Thompson.”

Gleefully, he curled his finger around the trigger and squeezed.

Victoria shut her eyes and tried to imagine what it must be like in heaven, since she believed that’s where she was going this time. _Enrique will be waiting there for me_ , she smiled tearfully. _And mother……_

Click!

“What the bloody hell?” Maxwell griped then, squeezing the trigger several more times like a maniac.

Click! Click! Click! Click!

And that’s when the realization suddenly dawned on him, and now he was raving mad.

“That bloody wildebeest of a man!” Maxwell shouted, madly tossing his revolver on the ground.

“What’s the matter, run out of ammo?” Victoria quipped, sitting herself back up.

Then, Maxwell looked down at his bare hands, and then down at her as a maddening grin took over his face. “Oh, fear not, Miss Thompson, for there are other ways.” He now came at her, fingers curled like claws as he reached down for her throat.

Seeing that dead look in his eyes said it all; he was a man with nothing else to lose, the most dangerous kind of man there was, and now he was going to take her with him no matter what.

In a desperate attempt to get away, she started crawling towards the edge of the cliff, knowing her only chance of surviving this might come down to jumping if nothing else, but with Maxwell coming at her with that empty psychotic look in his eyes, she was certain the fall would kill her a lot faster, sparing her the agony of being strangled to death by his bare hands. Fear and anxiety swirled around in her and her heart was pounding like the loudest drum. She had to get away.

The intensity of her panic only grew worse once she felt his cold, clammy hands clasp around her neck like a vice. First, he’d yanked off the pearl collar Lancer had given her, where it had instantly come apart and the fake pearls had spilled all over onto the ground, rolling about and scattering everywhere. Seeing this, her eyes welled with tears, but the only thing she could see in that moment was total madness on her former partner’s face. He had both of his hands around her throat now, and was looking right into her frightened eyes; like a fierce predator about to devour its prey. He wanted to watch her die.

She was now at death’s mercy, and the fear and panic was already beginning to lessen, where it had suddenly changed into that of a feeling of total acceptance once she could no longer breathe. Her heart rate was already beginning to slow, but she’d never felt more relaxed or calm. She felt weightless, as though she could float up or even fly, and specks of twinkling light filtered her vision, and for a brief moment, she’d even thought she heard a distant voice crying out her name. _Who was that?_ She wondered then.

“Victoria!” the voice cried out in panic again, and soon she recognized it; it was Annie! She had come back for her.

Maxwell meanwhile, had continued trying to strangle the life out of Victoria, when Annie suddenly chucked a large rock at him, pelting him right against the back of his head.

“Let her go you creepo!” Annie hollered at the top of her lungs.

Releasing his grasp around his former partner, he dared to look over his shoulder, just to feel the lightning strike of a fist in his jaw, where he was next thrown on the ground, and flipped over just to end up face to face with a very angry Scott. Or maybe furious was the better word in order to describe the burning hatred in his eyes as he stared down at Maxwell.

 _Oh Shite!_ Maxwell’s forehead beaded with sweat.

He wasn’t even given much time to react, let alone even blink, when Scott’s fist struck his face again, now punching him over and over; unleashing all his built up fury. At some point, there was even a loud popping sound, in which Maxwell could only guess that something must have been broken; either his nose or his jaw, and with as hard as this man was punching him, there was no question in his mind something was broken, he just couldn’t feel it yet.

“You were probably hoping you’d seen the last of us, weren’t you?” Scott growled, punching Maxwell once more in the face for good measure, and then whipped out his H90 and roughly pressed it against Maxwell’s forehead, itching to pull the trigger; regardless if it summoned the Invid after them or not. The only thing Scott knew in that moment was that he wanted this man dead.

Annie and Lancer had already rushed to Victoria’s aid, and were pulling her back away from the scuffle. She was already gasping and coughing once she could breathe again, but was still pretty disoriented from almost having the life choked out of her. Her voice wheezed a bit as she looked up and saw Annie’s tearful gaze looking down at her, which made her smile weakly.

“You came back for me,” Victoria uttered hoarsely.

“Of course we did,” Annie replied, sniffling. “You’re part of our family now.”

Victoria smiled again, and coughed. “I could sure use a cigarette right about now.”

Lancer chuckled softly, and brushed his hand against her face in an affectionate gesture. He felt relieved they had gotten to her in time.

She then gazed up at his face regretfully and rasped, “Sorry about your necklace.”

“It was just a piece of costume jewelry anyway,” Lance replied dismissively. “What’s more important is that you’re alive.”

She flashed another weak smile, and even noticed Marlene standing nearby looking just as relieved as the others, but also very perturbed over what was taking place a few feet away from them.

Hearing Maxwell’s pitiful whimpers, Victoria turned her head in his direction. There, she spied Scott kneeing his chest along with his Mars Gallant pressed to Maxwell’s forehead. Was Scott actually thinking about killing him? It was sure looking that way for the moment, but she was far too weak to even try and talk him out of it. However, she wasn’t the only one feeling this way, as it appeared the rest of Scott’s teammates were already doing their best to try and talk him out of it, especially Rand.

“C’mon, Scott, you don’t want to do this,” Rand reasoned, shaking his head. With as furious as Scott was looking, Rand was beginning to worry that their team leader might have become lost in his own fury, and he would be right, as the only thing Scott seemed to be seeing in that moment was pure red. He really was thinking about putting Maxwell down for good. “This isn’t who you are, you’re not a killer and I know you don’t want to be either.”

“Rand is right,” Victoria managed to choke out just then. “You don’t have to kill him, just leave him behind. He’s going to die out here alone anyway.” There was a hint of callousness in her tone. “You’ve already beaten him, he’s frightened, and won’t be bothering us again.”

Scott clenched his jaw, feeling nothing but total malice as he glared down at Maxwell’s panicked, bloodied face. He couldn’t help but savor this moment either, especially after everything Maxwell had done to them all; he deserved it.

“Scott,” Rand said calmly, daring to step closer to his angry leader. “C’mon, just let him go, and let’s head back to camp. Don’t do this, Spaceman.”

Rook on the other hand, was feeling torn over wanting to see Maxwell die, but not at the risk of Scott losing part of his humanity. Now shaking her head, she decided to back Rand up.

“Rand _is_ right, Scott. That man is a criminal and a killer, but you’re not. Don’t be like him.”

Lunk suddenly wondered if he should try and intervene, when he then noticed that Scott had appeared to have calmed down, and had even pulled his blaster away from Maxwell’s face. At least Scott had heard the others out and decided against killing the man.

Relief now filled the faces of his teammates, when Scott next yanked Maxwell up by his shirt collar, and held him up right to his face; eyes still burning with a fury they’d never seen before.

“I’m going to make _one_ thing clear with you here,” Scott warned the man through clenched teeth. “If you follow us, or if I ever see your face again anywhere near me or my team, I won’t hesitate to put you down. Do you understand me?”

Maxwell grimaced and nodded.

“Good, I’m glad we finally understand each other,” Scott remarked coldly, throwing him back down, and then stood up himself, before making eye contact with his teammates. “All right team, let’s go!”

Despite the fact he’d listened to their pleas, Scott was still very angry and seemed to be in a hurry to get out of there before he changed his mind again.

The others were silent as they watched him take off by himself, but they wouldn’t be too far behind. Lunk and Marlene had already taken off after him, while Rand stood by waiting on Rook, as the fiery blonde suddenly stormed on over to where Maxwell lay in all his pathetic glory, and gave him a good hard kick right in the ribs.

He yelped out in pain and Rook smiled victoriously. She had waited so long to take her shot at him, that her only regret was the fact that he was lying on the ground like a beaten loser instead of standing on his two feet like the big-mouthed trash-talker he was. After that, she went ahead and took off to catch up with Rand and the others, which only left Lancer, Annie, and Victoria behind.

Both Lancer and Annie were already in the midst of helping Victoria back up to her feet, when she suddenly cried out in pain and fell back down. “My feet,” she winced, gritting her teeth. “They hurt, I can’t walk anymore.”

“It’s okay I’ve got this,” Lancer mentioned to Annie, and then knelt down and scooped Victoria up, now carrying her in his arms.

Annie had even been kind enough to remove Victoria’s heels just so her feet would hurt less, and carried them in her hands as she and Lancer took off to catch up with the rest of their teammates. Hopefully the others had stopped and waited for them. It was still going to be a bit of a walk back, and with the constant threat of the Invid, it would have been far too risky if Lunk had brought his jeep out here; even if it would’ve made for a shorter trip back to camp.

Maxwell grimaced, watching as they left, sitting up and holding a hand over his broken nose as a stream of warm blood dripped down his chin and neck, staining the collar of his dress-shirt. Even after having the total crap beaten out of him, he still scowled at those people, feeling nothing but total hatred for them, especially their leader. But after hearing Scott’s final warning to him, he knew better than to try and follow after them. It was just too bad his gun still didn’t have any ammo otherwise he could’ve just used it on himself in that moment.

Rising back up to his feet, he angrily kicked at his revolver like a child throwing a tantrum, when his left leg suddenly slipped under him, and he landed right back on his ass again. Nothing but pure rage crashed through him, and he madly pounded the ground with both fists in order to get it out of his system. He couldn’t believe he was stranded here.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Inside the tunnel, Justin and Brian were gathering up all of the homemade bombs Justin had quickly thrown together using nothing but household chemicals. Justin had thoroughly mixed up the solution, adding a plating agent to the mixture in order to convert it into a powder form; similar to that of gun powder or even dynamite. The whole process had been tedious, but fascinating to watch nonetheless, especially with the way the young chemist had utilized such materials as aluminum foil and electrical tape. He’d also added another type of chemical binding agent, which allowed him to handle the mixture, wearing a double pair of latex gloves as he picked up, and formed the mixture into the shape and size of baseballs, which were then wrapped up in aluminum foil and black tape. Watching him, Brian had to ask why he wore two pairs of gloves instead of one.

“It’s because this powder is _extremely_ heat sensitive,” Justin explained, now holding one of the bombs inside his left hand to look it over. “The heat from our bodies is even enough to set it off, which is why we can’t handle them for too long.” He then placed the bomb down inside the bucket with the rest. “The foil is thick enough to prevent them from setting each other off, but we don’t have much time. We need to act fast,” he stressed, giving Brian a serious look.

Brian nodded in acknowledgement.

Justin had already gone over their new plan, about how they would start off by setting a bunch of fires on the outside; using the lighter fluid they scavenged from the abandoned tobacco shop, as well as a bunch of empty glass bottles Justin had scrounged up from an old dump site.

“We’ll start by throwing these Molotov cocktails all around the outside there,” Justin explained. “Create a nice big hellish landscape that will draw them all in. In the meantime, we’ll hide behind the rubble piles, and once those things are close enough to the flames, then we toss the bombs into the fires and it’s bye-bye crabs.”

“And you’re positive these things will blow them up?” Brian had to ask, still a bit skeptical.

“Absolutely,” Justin answered with a wide smirk. “Just make sure you’re wearing those gloves when you toss them, or else you’re going to have yourself a _very_ bad day.”

“Affirmative,” Brian cringed, when another thought had crossed his mind. “What about that blood or fuel stuff we collected from the dead one? I thought our original plan was to use that to lure them in?”

A devious smile now spread across Justin’s face. “I mixed it in with the lighter fluid, that’s how the fires will draw them in. Now come on, let’s get moving. We want to try and take out as many as possible today.”

“Roger that,” Brian replied, still not looking forward to the possible armada of these things that could possibly show up after their attack, but Brian and Justin had already spent too much time in hiding. It was time to fight back and fight dirty. “But what comes after that? Do we just retreat back inside our tunnel again?”

“Nope,” Justin shook his head. “After we take the lot of these sons of bitches out, then we make a run for it.” He then showed Brian the packed duffle bag. “I’ve already packed a bunch of our things in here. On our way out, we can collect more supplies if need be. I saw a map of the area when I went back to that store, there’s even a river close by. We can start by heading that way. Who knows? Maybe we’ll run into more of our people? But we can’t stay here anymore or else we ain’t gonna make it.”

Without wasting any time, Brian went ahead and lit himself a quick cigarette now, taking a long drag before bringing up the inevitable.

“You do know there is a big chance we might not survive this either,” he looked at Justin. “They could easily kill us before we see it coming.”

Justin nodded slowly, and the look on his face said all that was needed in that moment. “Better to die fighting than to die hiding.”

Brian agreed, taking another drag from his cigarette. “Yep.” He only prayed they would live to see another day. “Let’s do this.”

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

The instant they had exited the tunnel, Justin had spotted a couple Invid scouts flying by over head. In a panic, he ducked down, signaling for Brian to do the same. The crimson colored monsters didn’t appear to see either of the young men, so once they had passed, that’s about the time when Justin and Brian moved further out, and then made a beeline for one of the large rubble piles nearby. With their buckets in tow, Justin next opened up the duffle bag, and handed Brian a double pair of gloves and a facemask.

“For the fumes,” Justin said, taking and putting a mask over his own mouth and nose.

Brian gave a quick nod, and then placed the mask over his face, before picking up one of the Molotovs and igniting the torn piece of sheet fabric hanging on the outside. Justin also picked up one of the bottles and lit the end of the torn sheet. Then, with both their bottles ready to throw, Justin suddenly gave the signal, and they chucked the Molotovs as far as they could, where the bottles instantly crashed onto the ground, setting everything in its path into a blazing inferno.

Justin and Brian nodded at one another, and then went ahead and ignited two more bottles, tossing and throwing them into another direction, where another blaze had begun to spread, burning anything and everything flammable within its reach. Not letting up, Justin and Brian lit and tossed several more Molotovs, not stopping until the entire landscape was covered with fire. They continued, when soon, the moment of truth they’d been waiting for had finally come; the Invid had arrived.

It hadn’t been long when an Invid patrol consisting of six shock troopers, had detected several sources of protoculture, and had all been ordered by the Regis to investigate. Finding nothing but a large blazing inferno instead of Robotech mecha utterly confused them, but their scanners were reading correctly; there were large traces of protoculture within this fire. Cannons at the ready, they braced themselves for whatever attack the humans were planning next. Anger and frustration filled the Regis’s voice as she spoke through her children, ordering them to find and eliminate those humans.

“Now!” Justin gave the signal, and that’s when he and Brian began chucking their baseball sized bombs into the flames, not even stopping to catch their breath. This was war and they only way they were going down was with a fight.

Boom!

Several of the bombs exploded around the shock troopers, taking out of one of their pincers in the process, practically crippling the thing. The ground shook violently from the aftershock of each blast, leaving medium sized craters in its path.

“Keep tossing and don’t stop!” Justin ordered, hurling more bombs at their 20 plus foot tall purple enemies.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

More of the bombs set off, now taking out the rest of that injured shock trooper and injuring another. Now enraged, the others immediately began firing blindly in self defense, unable to see exactly where the source of these bombs was coming from as the fire had obscured their vision. Using this to their advantage, Brian and Justin continued tossing more bombs, where they soon took out another bogey.

“Eat this!” Justin hurled another, when all of a sudden, several blasts of annihilation discs began striking and pelting the ground around them.

“They’re fighting back!” Brian called out to Justin, right as a blast of plasma fire had struck the very top of the rubble pile they were hidden behind.

“It’s us or them!” Justin called back, tossing another bomb, when Brian suddenly paused and looked down at his bucket full of bombs.

“I think I’ve got an idea!” He shouted then.

“What?” Just shot him a quick look, and then tossed another bomb.

“I have an idea!” Brian shouted again, now picking up his bucket and rising to his feet.

“You’re going to get yourself killed if you go out there!” Justin harshly warned. “Don’t be stupid, just keep tossing them one at a time like I showed you!”

More annihilation disc blasts charged forth, hitting everything in sight around them, when another shock trooper was suddenly taken out by another blast from those mysterious bombs. Helplessly, the Regis watched as her children were being massacred by these humans before her very eyes, but she didn’t dare tell them to retreat. This planet was their new home and they would defend it against the humans no matter what the cost was.

“Eliminate them!” The Regis’s voice roared, as the remaining shock troopers continued firing all around them, hoping to hit their target sooner or later.

With no break in between the blasts of plasma fire, Brian had to really think about how he was going to pull this off. And then with impulse, he suddenly chucked the entire bucket into the flames, and quickly dropped to the ground on his stomach, covering his head with his hands. It was then that one of the remaining shock troopers had spotted and locked their sights on him, ready to fire and put an end to this measly human threat, until it detected something else. The instant the bucket had landed in the middle of the fire, the rest of the bombs inside began to detonate, one after the other; into a single large blast that ended up taking out another shock trooper, which now left only one, and it was mad as hell.

“Toss your entire bucket!” Brian shouted over at Justin. “Do it now!”

Feeling hesitated, Justin shot Brian a quick look, and then noticed the surviving shock trooper had grown a lot bolder, and had now locked onto to both of the young men, readying itself to make a kill.

“Do it!” Brian shouted again.

Now, with a heavy groan, Justin jumped out from behind the rubble pile, and chucked his entire bucket of bombs right at the shock trooper. It landed right at the monster’s feet, where the flames quickly ignited the bombs and they set off, one right after the other. Desperate to make its escape, the remaining shock trooper attempted to jump into the air, when the blast soon erupted from underneath it, engulfing it in the flames, and bringing it right back down. It wasn’t dead yet, but it was definitely crippled.

All around it the flames raged on, until the sky above suddenly turned dark gray, and droplets of water began pouring down over the fire from the heavens; it was raining. The sounds of thunder rumbled followed by bright flashes coming from the sky. Brian and Justin gazed heavenward as the storm rolled in, dousing their fires with its tears as well as drenching them both soaking wet. It felt cool and refreshing at first, but once the rain turned into a complete downpour, then it was unbearable.

Getting up from the ground, Brian quickly realized his leather jacket was stuck to him like a second skin, especially as he attempted to peel it off of himself.

Justin gazed out at the wreckage of shock troopers in front of them, noting all the burn marks and small craters that had been caused by the bombs. High above, bolts of lightning flashed and sizzled, even touching down on the ground in some areas, but nowhere close to them thankfully. Then, Justin noticed the injured shock trooper that was lying on its side; its single red eye locked onto him, unable to fire from its crippled cannons.

“It’s over,” Justin told the thing, hoping it could understand his words. “We win.”

In that instant, the single red eye appeared to move; as if attempting one final scan before the pilot inside had succumbed to its internal injuries. All around the wreckage, Justin noticed more of that green fluid oozing from out of the cockpits. Little by little, the rain began to lessen, but as Brian and Justin looked behind them, they’d noticed that the entrance to their tunnel had completely caved in as chunks of rock and rubble now blocked entry. They had no choice but to leave now.

“Let’s head towards the river,” Justin insisted then, picking up their duffle bag, and removing his facemask.

Brian stood before the blocked entrance of their former home, and sighed sadly. There was a sense of relief in knowing that he would never have to spend another night inside there, but also a feeling of sadness over the fact that they would now have to find a brand new shelter, and hope more of those things weren’t after them.

Overhead, the storm began to die down, as the thunder began to sound more and more distant with each clap. With a bow of his head, Brian reluctantly turned around and began to follow behind Justin as the young chemist led the way.

“Hey, at least we got a shower out of all of this,” Justin joked, causing Brian to roll his eyes.

“Yeah, and now we stand a chance of catching hypothermia,” Brian flung back as they continued making their way through the Invid graveyard, covering their noses once they caught whiff of the dead pilots inside the machines.

“I know I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again,” Justin quipped. “I hope I never smell another dead one of these things again!”

For what seemed like a much needed light-hearted moment between the two young men, suddenly turned into sheer horror once they both heard a loud rumbling sound, and quickly looked behind them.

There, they spied that surviving shock trooper. It was still alive.

Fear and panic instantly shot through them both as the monster was looking right at them with its eye; capturing their faces so that it and the Regis would know who they were.

“I-it’s not dead,” Brian stammered fearfully, now looking to Justin for answers.

Justin swallowed the lump in his throat as he too felt seized by fear.

Suddenly, the shock trooper made another rumbling sound, and then with all the power it had left, it leapt into the air and took off. Only it didn’t fly quite like the others, instead, it flew rather clumsily, looking as though it would crash the second it ran into something. However, its desire to survive had been more than enough to motivate it, and now so was something else; it’s thirst for revenge. Its cannons might’ve been damaged and were unusable, but that only meant the surviving pilot would need to be transferred into another power armor, which the Invid Queen would be more than willing to provide, for she too had seen the faces of those two humans that had so ruthlessly massacred her children, and now she also wanted revenge on them.

“Those humans must pay for what they’ve done!” Her chilling voice now echoed.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Back at their campsite, Rand and Lunk were still finishing up with putting together the first raft. Afterwards, Rand went ahead and whittled a makeshift spear, and then took off for the river to do a little spear-fishing. Realizing how much easier this seemed to be, he was already berating himself for not thinking of it the first place. _I wasted all that time trying to fish when I could’ve saved myself the trouble and just speared these suckers instead_ , he thought, annoyed with himself. _Better late than never I guess?_

But while he was preoccupied with that, everyone else was already gathered around their campfire, relaxing; everyone but Scott that is, as the team leader had decided he needed some time to himself to blow off steam, and was seated on that same log where he’d found Victoria the night before.

Sitting there alone, he suddenly began to understand why she had chosen this spot. It was peaceful and quiet here, allowing him to reflect on his thoughts and feelings over the rage that had come over him earlier. Never in his life had he ever felt so much hatred towards a man that he wanted him dead. That rage was supposed to be saved for the Invid not other humans. Why had it consumed him so? He groaned, covering his face with his hand, feeling nothing but disgust with himself for allowing that man to make him lose sight of who he was; nearly changing him for the worst. If it weren’t for Rand and the others talking sense into him, he might’ve gone down a path he wouldn’t be able to come back from and that’s what scared him most of all.

“How uncanny is this?” Victoria suddenly pointed out, as she limped over and took a seat beside him. Her feet were still sore but at least she could get around on her own again. “You’re in the same exact spot I was before, and now I’m in your spot. Almost like the tables have turned.”

If she was trying to humor him in that moment, then it fell flat, because he wasn’t allowing himself to feel anything at all. Although, she had been right about one thing; the tables had definitely turned.

“You want to talk?” She asked then, flashing a soft smile.

No response.

Sighing deep, she lowered her shoulders, feeling sorry for whatever it was he must be going through. He didn’t even have to tell her what was wrong; she already knew.

“You made the right choice by not killing him,” she sighed again. “You only would’ve lost a part of yourself; something you can’t get back once it’s gone. Believe me I know.”

“Were you blinded by rage too at the time?” He quietly asked.

Shaking her head, she softly replied, “No. Back when I pulled the trigger I wasn’t thinking at all, just did it. It was the only way I could even go through with it.” She frowned.

“I’ve never felt so much hatred for a man before,” he sighed heavily, staring ahead.

“I know,” she acknowledged with a sympathetic look. “And I’m sorry he made you feel that way, but he’d already lost himself.” Her eyes then shifted down to the ground as she recalled that dead look in Maxwell’s eyes the instant he had gone for her throat. “I saw how far gone he was when he came at me, before he started choking the life right out of me. It’s a look I will never forget either. This world changed me for the better, but it changed him for the worst.”

“Sounds like that nightmare of yours came true after all, Scott mentioned regretfully. “I’m sorry we didn’t get there sooner to stop him.”

“Don’t,” she shook her head at him. “You all got there just in the nick of time, that’s all that matters.” Then after a brief moment of silence, she added, “You didn’t even have to come for me, but you did.”

“Well, after you were willing to give your own life to save Annie there was no way we were going to allow you to die at the hands of that monster. We couldn’t allow it.” He then looked right at her, as though to show her he meant it.

She smiled softly, and then in a silly gesture, raised her hands and asked, “Want a massage? That might make you feel a little better, no?”

Shooting her an awkward glance, he quickly turned his head away again. “No, that’s all right.”

“Want to cry on my shoulder then?” She now offered, causing him to scoff lightly.

“No, that’s all right,” he declined, looking at her sideways. “I thought there was something going on between you and Lancer, I saw you two together earlier today.”

“Oh that?” She scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. “That was nothing he was just comforting me, that’s all. Much like I’m trying to do with you now.”

He didn’t say anything more, but he could’ve sworn what he spied before was those two locked in a romantic embrace as though they had just discovered their feelings for one another. Now a feeling of jealousy swirled in him; he missed that feeling of holding someone, he missed his Marlene.

“So, you don’t have any romantic feelings towards him at all?” Scott asked, sounding rather skeptical.

Victoria couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “First little Miss Annie likes to pry into my personal life, and now you? No, I don’t feel any romantic feelings towards Lancer. I like him just as I like you. Whatever you think you saw earlier isn’t what you think it is. Besides, I’ve already told you about the one who holds my heart, and that still hasn’t changed.”

Only, Scott wasn’t the least bit convinced, especially with the defensive way she was reacting now.

“Does Lancer know about him?” Scott had to ask then, especially considering the fact that if Lancer was beginning to have feelings for her, then it would only break his heart once he found out there was someone else, and after already losing his old flame to another man, it would just end up being another crushing blow.

“I don’t think he does,” she narrowed her eyes at him. “Why does it matter? There’s nothing going on between us.”

“So he doesn’t feel like you’re leading him on,” Scott replied crossly, sounding a little harsher than needed. “Maybe you don’t feel that way but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel something.”

Victoria seemed taken aback over the direction this conversation had taken, and thought about getting up and leaving. “And how would I even know he felt anything more for me? Wouldn’t he just tell me himself if that were the case? I’m sorry, Long-Johns, but I think you’re reading a lot more into this than you should. And to be quite honest here, you almost sound jealous.”

He scoffed bitterly. “Of course I feel that way. Why wouldn’t I? You have someone waiting for you and I don’t. The only thing I have to look forward to when this war is over is _another_ war. My love is gone, taken from me as I helplessly watched. I don’t get to see her walk down the aisle, or feel her warm embrace ever again. All I have left are memories of her; including her final moments. That’s all!”

Tears of anguish filled his eyes as he tightly clenched his fists and muttered, “Marlene is dead.”

Sadness blanketed her face as she listened, and then as an affectionate gesture, she reached over with her left hand, and gently rubbed his back, using a circular motion in order to help calm him.

“It’s okay, just let it all out,” she spoke softly, continuing to rub his back. She could tell he’d obviously been keeping a lot of these emotions bottled up inside for some time, and that the rage he’d felt towards Maxwell had suddenly unleashed everything; whether intended or not.

Silence befell him as she then scooted herself closer, and wrapped her arm around his shoulders while resting her head against his arm. A few moments later she could tell he was beginning to feel a lot less tense and had definitely calmed down. It seemed that all he needed was a little physical affection; to feel someone there for him.

“Truthfully, I don’t know if there’s someone waiting for me either,” she softly confessed then. “And you know what? That’s okay with me. I have you all now anyway.”

Unsure of whether or not what she had just said made him feel better, she gave him a reassuring squeeze. “No matter what, Long-Johns, your fiancé will always be with you, and that is the truth. Nobody can take that away, not Maxwell, not the Invid. _Nobody._ ”

He sighed deeply and closed his eyes, resting his arms at his sides, when she gently asked him to look at her.

He hesitated a bit, and then finally gave in, where he turned his head in her direction, utterly surprised when she reached over and wiped away the tears from his face; in the same way a loving mother would tend to a crying child.

With that demure smile of hers, she now looked deep into his sorrowful eyes, and kindly repeated herself. “She’ll always be with you. Do you want me to sing it? Cause I will if that’s what it takes to make you believe it,” she teased, and then softly sang, _Leave all of your troubles behind, my dear, cause there’s always tomorrow, it’s a brand new day, for new beginnings, so come what may._

“That’s what I’d sing to Enrique sometimes when he was having a bad day,” she sighed with sadness, feeling that choked up feeling coming on again. The pain of missing the young bartender hadn’t left her at all; just been buried deep within. “You would have liked him a lot I think. He wasn’t a soldier of course, but he had a heart of gold. That much is true.”

He suddenly placed his hand on top of hers. “I’m really sorry you lost him.”

As a force of habit, she pulled her hand away, but then went ahead and patted the top of his in order to show that she appreciated the gesture. She didn’t want him to feel like she was repulsed by him or anything, because that was far from the truth. He was very handsome, but she just didn’t feel amorous towards him, or anyone for that matter. In fact, she had never actually had something serious with anyone before, and because of her unfortunate experiences, any kind of physical contact with the opposite sex made her extremely anxious. However, with Lancer it had been different, because he wasn’t just a man, and he also understood where she was coming from.

Puzzled by her reaction, Scott removed his hand from her lap and asked, “Are you okay?” He started to worry that he’d done something wrong, only he couldn’t imagine what.

“I’m fine,” she answered, thinking about Enrique once again and sighed. “At least he’s in heaven. I’ll see him again someday, although I came pretty damn close today.” She remembered that feeling of being so close to death, and amazed over how peaceful it actually felt. “Never was much of a believer in that place, but my mother sure was.”

Then she happened to looked down at his gloved hand and noticed the dried blood; a nice reminder of the moment when he’d broken Maxwell’s nose during their scuffle. It was just too bad she had spent the entirety of that event light-headed and disoriented otherwise she would’ve liked having a front-row seat.

“You sure beat him up good didn’t you?” She felt the need to comment now, as a satisfied smile spread across her lips. “I’ve always wanted to break that nose of his myself. You sure beat me to the _punch_ on that one.”

Just then, she could’ve sworn she heard a quiet chuckle coming from him, which only made her more determined to get him laughing.

“I can just hear him now,” she scoffed, and then pinched her nose closed between her forefinger and thumb and said, “ _That bloody tosser broke my nose!”_

That had definitely elicited another chuckle from him, and she even thought she spied a smile on his face too, but she didn’t stop there.

“Maxwell always told me he _nose_ what’s best,” she joked. “Bet he’ll think twice about being _nosey_ now.”

Scott laughed again, and she felt her heart swell up with joy. After the way he’d graciously helped her she was more determined than ever to do the same for him.

“When you think about it that whole nose thing is kind of _punny_ , isn’t it?” She smirked deviously, stealing a glance at him.

She had sounded absolutely ridiculous, but he couldn’t help but laugh again. There was just something about that fast-talking voice she used along with the delivery that had cracked him up like never before. He certainly hadn’t laughed this much in a while, but it seemed to be just what the doctor ordered.

“You’re sure quite the comedian, aren’t you?” He smiled at her. “I know you said you used to be an actress, were you ever in any comedies?”

She gave a half shrug and said, “Eh, not any comedy roles per say, but I did have my funny scenes.” She folded her hands on her lap. “Since I was known as Vicky the Vamp Thompson, I was expected to portray a much more _sensual_ role,” she remarked dryly, striking a mock-seductive pose.

Yet, in that dress she wore, Scott found that it suited her well. She came across as both sensual and humorous, and suddenly he found himself hoping that Lancer hadn’t noticed the look he was giving her now. He hadn’t meant to stare at her this way, but he couldn’t help it.

“At least you find me funny,” she mused, “Feeling better now?”

He nodded. “Yes, thank you.” Then after another moment he nervously added, “I-I guess this makes us even now.” His eyes lingered on her face. She was a bit older than him but he still found her strikingly beautiful for a woman her age; for a smoker she certainly had nice skin and white teeth. He was already berating himself for feeling this way towards her. It just felt wrong, like it wasn’t meant to be.

She scoffed. “I didn’t realize we were keeping score here. I thought this is just what friends do for each other out of the kindness of their own hearts? Things aren’t even between us, Long-Johns they just are.”

“You’re right,” he agreed then, when she reached over and gently patted him on the hand.

“Well, now that you’re feeling better I would say my mission here is complete,” she stated, seemingly mocking his usual serious tone of voice in an effort to humor him further, and she definitely had judging by the surprised look on his face then.

“Now, if you don’t mind, I think I’m due for a smoke break here, and then after that I’m going to see if I can’t get Annie to play a game of cards with me. Back when you searched my purse you forgot to confiscate _those_ ,” she razzed, playfully poking him in the nose with her index finger.

“Teaching her to gamble now are we?” He remarked, shaking his head.

“Gotta start them young,” Victoria coyly retorted with her hands on her hips. “After all, she is _your_ future queen, and a queen must be allowed to gamble.”

“You’re right.” He found himself agreeing with her while also feeling much better overall. She had definitely helped in lifting his spirits back up. He’d almost forgotten how angry he’d been earlier, when something else suddenly came to mind and he had to ask.

“You mentioned you felt close to death before, what did it feel like?”

She paused for a moment. “It was actually a very freeing feeling,” she answered, giving him a sideways glance. She could tell he was probably wondering what his fiancé was feeling during her final moments. “I almost felt like I could fly.”

“No pain?” He asked, amazed by her experience.

“Only a little at first but then it was gone, and believe me I would’ve willingly given in and slipped away if I hadn’t heard Annie crying out my name. After that, the fight to live was right back in me.”

He smiled softly. “I’m glad you’re still with us.”

“Me too, Long-John’s, me too,” she winced with pain as she stood back up, feeling that aching feeling right back in her feet again. It made her feel like a lot like a decrepit old woman who needed a cane to get around.

“Need any help?” Scott now offered, realizing she was still in a lot of pain.

“Nope, I’ve got it. I’m a big girl I can handle myself,” she flashed a playful smile, giving him one final pat on the shoulder before slowly limping off back towards the camp.

He stayed behind, already missing her company much to his own surprise, but he knew she wasn’t far away if he needed any cheering up again, or if he just needed her. She was definitely good company to keep around. They had mutual respect and understanding towards one another, and there hadn’t been anymore fights since that last time. That alone was a big relief. He’d only wished it had been that way from the start. Those fights had always drained him emotionally and he never took any pleasure in reacting the way he did, but he didn’t know else to act. She was stubborn as hell and could be just about as hot-headed at times as himself, while other times she was just so sweet that it made him forget all about being angry with her moments before. That’s what drove him crazy most of all.

Then came that idea again, the idea that he possibly did need her. _But why?_ He wondered. Where had it come from and why was it happening? He remembered the way he had looked at her before, that feeling of just how wrong it felt as though he was doing something he wasn’t supposed to. That was the next question that plagued his mind then. Why did it feel wrong? What exactly was so wrong about seeing her that way? She wasn’t romantically involved with anyone, she said so herself, so it wasn’t like he was encroaching on another man’s territory He was only looking not touching. Then, he possibly wondered if the reason it felt wrong might have had something to do with his fiancé. Was he somehow committing adultery in his heart even though Marlene was dead? He couldn’t bring her back, so what was he supposed to do, spend the rest of his days alone? Wouldn’t she want him to find happiness again? It was all so mentally exhausting and confusing, and no amount of military training could’ve ever prepared him. What was he going to do?

Lost in his thoughts again, he sulked.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

“How long you been leading this small community for anyway?” Morane asked, genuinely curious as he sat across from the man at a long wooden table in the town hall meeting room. It was pretty spacious with very little furniture or décor. Almost kind of dull, but at least the seating was comfortable. One thing that certainly stood out was the large painting of The Last Supper, which hung on the wall behind them. Morane had glimpsed it quite a few times, wondering why it hung in this room of all places. This was a meeting area not a dining room.

Both men were drinking freshly brewed coffee, while Morane’s former travel companion Gerald, had gone off on his own to explore the town and see what else it had to offer.

“Only a couple years now,” the leader answered wearily. Aside from his tattered clothing, he had a clean shaven face, and short- well-groomed sand colored hair. “My older brother runs a much nicer settlement in the city of Deguello in South America. We haven’t been on speaking terms for many years now.”

“Much nicer, huh?” That description alone had caught Morane’s interest. “He loaded or somethin?”

“Definitely has plenty of gold.”

“How’d he earn it?” Morane sipped from his mug.

“Selling lies,” the man answered, sipping from his own mug. “He sells fake maps to people in exchange for their gold, fake maps that are supposed to lead to some kind of paradise. But in reality that paradise doesn’t exist, instead it leads them right into an Invid deathtrap.”

“No shit?” Morane remarked, sounding impressed by what he heard. “So why aren’t you two on speaking terms anymore?”

The man sipped his coffee again, and shrugged with nonchalance. “Conflict of interests, clashing of morals. To put it bluntly, I don’t like what he does because to me it is wrong, and our mother raised us better than that.”

“And your father?” Morane inquired then.

“Dead. Both his father and mine.”

“Ah, so you’re half-brothers then, eh?”

The man nodded.

“And you assume I’m any better than that brother of yours?” Morane decided to throw it in his face just to see what kind of reaction it would have.

Speechless, the man shot him a blank look, and resumed drinking from his mug. “Are you?”

Morane grinned. “Better in the sense that I know better than to sacrifice so many _good_ hard working folks in exchange for gold. You can’t run a community with the dead, now can you? By the way, what’s your name, sport?”

“Daniel Wellington,” the man answered. “Donald Maxwell is my brother.”

Morane scoffed at the sound of his brother’s name, especially the Maxwell part. He hated to be reminded of that cowardly weasel that ran the Card Shack back in his city, and wished nothing but the worst on him. “Well, Daniel. I’m Morane. Julius Morane. And I shit you not, my middle name is Caesar; courtesy of my father. I killed him by the way.”

Daniel suddenly choked on his drink. He wasn’t sure if he should feel disgust or simply ask the man why he’d done it. There had to be a reason.

“Why did you kill him?” There was a hint of fear in Daniel’s voice.

Picking up on this, Morane looked him dead in the eye. “Because he deserved it.”

“What did he do?”

“He beat me and my mother,” Morane answered plainly, as though murdering his own father was akin to taking out the evening trash. “It was a long time coming of course, but I’m a patient man and I simply waited until he was too old and frail to stop me.” A sinister look of satisfaction filled his face. He almost sounded proud of what he’d done. “You only kill those who deserve it, and also those who double-cross you. It’s the golden rule.”

Daniel felt his blood run cold in that moment. “But doesn’t an eye for an eye make the world blind?”

“It’s not about being blind, it’s about eliminating the problem,” Morane explained. “Neither of you might not be able to see shit, but you’re both still capable of killing one another, blind or otherwise. The point is, you want to kill them _before_ they kill you. But you also want to find out who is loyal and who is not. You want to see the face of the man before he tries to stab you, not the moment he does it.”

Then with a heavy sigh Morane added, “The people your brother is killing don’t deserve it. You’re right about that. But what have _you_ done to stop it?”

Daniel felt nothing but guilt now, because he’d done absolutely nothing to put a stop to his brother’s ways. Instead, he fled to the North American continent in order to try and start over; to try and pretend it wasn’t happening, much like the Invid invasion. As long as Daniel and his people hid behind their walls they felt safe and secure, but were they really?

“Does he know where you are now?” Morane asked.

Daniel curtly shook his head. “No, and I’d rather it stay that way.”

“You’re a coward,” Morane said coldly. “You should have killed your brother but you didn’t. You ran away instead. And now look at you! Hiding behind these walls like some kind of pussy. Do these people know their leader is loser? Do they?” He raised his voice in a threatening manner.

Daniel felt paralyzed with fear, especially with that steel-cold gaze Morane was giving him. Those eyes were staring right into his soul, condemning him.

“But see? That’s why I’m here.” Morane’s demeanor quickly changed into something much more pleasant; like the flip of a switch. He smiled broadly. “And I’m here to help you.”

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Daniel wasn’t quite sure what to make of this sudden friendly tone, but it did make him feel somewhat at ease again.

“You’re going to help me run this community?” He’d finally mustered the courage to ask.

Morane nodded at him. “Got any booze or cigars?”

“We might, I’ll have to check though.”

“First things first,” Morane now stated, sounding a tad agitated again. “This wall? Tear it down! You and your people need to stop living in fear.”

Daniel stammered nervously. “B-b-but what about the Invid?”

“Fuck them!” Morane snapped in annoyance. “This is your fucking planet you need to take it back. Stop living in fear and start living in anger. Get mad, get pissed, get that fight right back in you if that’s what it takes. I guarantee there’s more of you than there are of them.”

“But they’re overpowered,” Daniel anxiously tried explaining next. “With their firepower alone they could level this entire settlement within seconds, don’t you see? We’re defeated and some of us have chosen to live peacefully by not fighting back.”

Morane shook his head. “What is the one weapon that man has had since the dawn of time?”

The answered seemed lost on Daniel in that moment. “What?”

“ _Fire_. Can they put it out?”

“Not that I’ve seen,” Daniel replied, wondering where this man was going with all this.

“Well, there you go,” Morane pointed out. “If enough of you got together and stormed their quarters like an angry mob and burned it to the ground, they’d be fucked wouldn’t they?”

Shock filled Daniel’s face. “What you’re suggesting is suicide. They live in hives, I don’t know if they’re fire proof or not.”

“The key here is you don’t know,” Morane said point-blank. “You haven’t tried it either, so don’t be so quick to shut it down. The people of your community deserve better, and if you’re not willing to fight for them then maybe you just ain’t fit to lead.”

Daniel only sat there in silence, ruminating.

“You’re weak.” Morane glared at him, clenching his teeth. “Just like that asshole Gerald. Your brother may be a dick but at least he isn’t _weak_ like you. And I know for a fact that your brother would gladly kill you for it. That’s the real reason you fled, isn’t it? He tried to kill you.”

Daniel nodded shamefully. “Yes he did, because I tried to get the truth out to the people. I was the biggest threat to his entire empire, I had to go.”

Morane chuckled and snapped his fingers. “Aha, I knew it! See, I’ve always had a knack for reading others. That’s how I figured out the truth about you in case you were wondering. But instead of trying to tell the people what the fuck he was doing, you should’ve just killed him. That’s where you screwed up. Could’ve put a stop to the _whole_ thing. Which goes back to the golden rule: kill those who deserve it. Your brother needed to die but you were too chicken shit to kill him.”

Daniel sighed heavily, feeling the weight of his mounting guilt with each passing moment. Worst of all, he hated that this man seemed to know him better than he knew himself. It was both scary and utterly fascinating, and Daniel couldn’t help but agree that this man was right with what he said. The humans did need to take back their planet and stop living in fear. Yet, there was also something notably dark about this man’s nature. He seemed to understand people at their core, and knew how to pull their strings or get them thinking about things they otherwise might not have.

As a pacifist, Daniel would’ve never believed or even thought that killing his brother was the right thing to do if it hadn’t been for this man pointing it out.

“You a man of god?” Morane now gestured at The Last Supper painting behind them.

Daniel nodded. “Yes.”

“Then why hasn’t _he_ done something about these aliens?”

“I don’t know.”

“Because he doesn’t exist.”

Daniel seemed to have no response to that.

“But this is American soil, right?” Morane asked, to which Daniel nodded.

“It is.”

“Home of the free and the brave,” Morane remarked, his sarcasm thick as could be. “I bet that Tree of Liberty is sure _thirsty_ as all hell.”

“I’m sure it is.”

“Then water it already.” Morane scowled. “What the fuck are you people waiting for? God to save you? He won’t, he isn’t real. You have to do that yourselves, but you won’t.”

Daniel shook his head. “We just want peace, as long as we leave the Invid alone they’ll leave us alone.”

Morane suddenly leaned forward in his chair, so that his furious gaze was even closer to Daniel’s face.

“You really think that’s going to last? That they’re just going to allow the rest of you to live freely in peace? I’ve never heard so much bullshit in all my days. If anything they want you people to remain ignorant, you know why? Makes it easier to kill you. _Like Jews in a camp.”_

Everything this man had said in that moment prodded and poked at Daniel’s emotions, pulling his thoughts in every direction there was, but that last part, the bit about the Jews; that’s what finally sent him over the edge, and now all he could do was sit there and nod in silence. This man had broken him.

“Y-you’re right.” He nodded beginning to feel like the only way he was going to survive this man was to agree with every word he said. “So what do we do?”

“Tear down your walls,” Morane repeated himself with harshness. “No more living in fear of them.”

“But how do we fight them?”

“Right now they’re dependent on your fear of them, remove that and see what happens.”

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Back at their campsite, the team was still enjoying a nice break from all their hard work as they sat gathered around their fire while the sun hung low in the background. It wasn’t quite dusk yet, but with the cover of the trees it looked and felt much darker. Rook was seated beside Marlene on one log, while Lancer and Lunk sat on another on the opposite side. Rand was still back at the river bank spear-fishing, and had already caught a few large fish that he had stuffed inside a pail. He figured one more should be enough to feed all of them for that night, but if he happened to catch a few more that would be even better. Scott was finally back with the others, now standing watch over by a tree. He decided to wait until dinner was ready to sit down with them. For now he just needed his space.

Annie and Victoria appeared to be in a world of their own as they sat cross-legged on the ground a ways from the fire, facing one another getting ready to play a game of cards. Victoria was already going over the basics of the game in order to teach Annie how to play. The deck of playing cards was already situated on the ground between them, when Victoria suddenly drew a card from the top, and then turned it over and laid it face up on the ground beside the rest of the deck. It was a 7 of diamonds.

“That’s the discard pile,” Victoria explained to the rambunctious teenager as she excitedly watched. “Since it’s just the two of us playing we’ll each get ten cards to start with, and when it’s your turn, then you will either draw a card from the deck,” she gestured. “Or the discard pile, but you must always discard one of your own cards into the pile, but never the same exact one you’ve just drawn on that turn, only the next. The goal of this game is to get rid of all your cards by forming sets or melds of three or four of a kind. For example, let’s say you already have two 3’s in your hand, then you draw another card from either the stock or the discard pile and it’s also a 3. That makes one meld. So what you do now, is you take that meld and you place it down between us like this,” she demonstrated using some cards. “Neither of us owns these melds, but what we can do is lay off another card just like it. So if either you or I draws another 3, we take that and add it to the rest like so. You follow me?”

Annie nodded.

“Better stop or I’ll have you arrested,” Victoria teased her.

It had actually taken Annie a moment to register that joke, but once she did she laughed just the same.

“As for the sequence,” Victoria continued, laying out some more cards in front of her on the ground. “You can start those from either: the beginning, middle, or the end. The ace counts for 1, so if you’ve got an ace in your hand as well as a 2 and a 3, then that would be your starting sequence. But the symbols must match. Diamonds go with diamonds, clubs with clubs, and so on. Same thing if you’ve got a 7, 8, and 9. That meld would also be the start of another sequence. Now when it comes to laying off cards to these melds, you do so in the same way, following the sequence. Let’s say a meld contains 5, 6 and 7 of clubs, you would lay off any number that came before or after. Like say, it’s your turn and you draw an 8 of a clubs, then you would lay off that card to the sequence and so on. Does this make sense?”

Annie nodded again. “Got it!” Then she suddenly spotted a stray card lying beside Victoria that was face down. “I think you missed one.” Annie now pointed out.

“I what?” Victoria paused for a moment, and then looked down and gasped with surprise. “You’re right I sure did.” She then picked it up and flipped it over. “Aha, it’s the King of Clubs,” she revealed with amusement. “Seems he was lost, so we’ll just stick him right back in with the rest of the cards like so.” She casually slipped the card back into the middle of the deck. “And I’ll go ahead and just shuffle the cards again, that way when he turns up again we won’t see him coming.”

“Good idea,” Annie agreed, watching and waiting as Victoria shuffled the deck one final time before dealing out ten cards to each of them.

“Ready to play?”

Annie nodded, smiling wide. “You bet!”

While Annie and Victoria were busy playing their game, Rook and the others sat quietly, enjoying the peace as they watched them. Everyone was relieved that things were somewhat back to normal, but also glad that Maxwell was finally gone for good. His absence alone had made the atmosphere around them much more tranquil and relaxing, even though they all knew he was still out there wandering around somewhere, but at least he was far away.

“The peace sure is nice but it probably won’t last,” Rook sighed, looking at Marlene. She hated to sound so pessimistic at a time like this, but she couldn’t help it.

The pink haired woman agreed as she continued to stare into the fire, lost in her thoughts, wondering when Ammon would reveal the answers she was seeking. For now it seemed he was nowhere to be found, which had left her with no other choice but to wait. Although it wasn’t so bad, she at least enjoyed watching Annie and Victoria play their card game. Annie looked chipper as could be again and it made Marlene feel good inside. Everyone else was mostly happy too, aside from Scott who still appeared to be recovering from his rage.

He wasn’t isolated any longer, but he was standing a bit away from the rest of the group, appearing to be playing look-out again. Was he still concerned about Maxwell? Marlene wondered. She definitely remembered the final warning Scott had given that man after beating him senseless. The fight alone had been brutal enough that it frightened her and made her want to keep her distance. She never liked it when any of these people fought. She didn’t understand the reason for it at all.

“Oh my gosh!” Annie shrieked with delight just then. “I’ve got my first match!” She revealed a set of three 6’s. “Look at that!” She went ahead and proudly flashed her cards to the rest of her teammates.

Seeing this, Rook shuddered. She was already feeling as though she had spoken too soon about the peace not lasting much longer. Was she right? She truly hoped not. Annie on the other hand, appeared completely oblivious to Rook’s reaction, as though she didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. In her opinion they were just cards.

“That’s gotta be a sign of bad luck, right?” Rook remarked in bewilderment, eying the others. “The mark of the beast?”

Annie’s eyes went wide. “What do you mean? What beast?”

Lunk hadn’t said a word at all in that moment, but he too had felt uncomfortable seeing those numbers. It was definitely a bad omen.

“I’m sure it’s just a silly coincidence,” Lancer scoffed, shaking his head at Rook. “That sounds like something Rand would worry about, not you.”

“Huh?” Rand responded in a dumbfounded manner the second he’d overheard his name just now. He was already in the process of making his way over, carrying the pail of fish he’d just caught. There were three large trout in total, which was enough to feed them all for one night at the very least. “What’d I do this time?” His brow furrowed, wondering what else his teammates were accusing him of.

“It’s nothing,” Lancer replied.

Rand didn’t believe him however, but decided to drop the subject altogether. There had already been enough conflict for one day, and there wasn’t any reason to start more. Nobody was in the mood for it. He certainly wasn’t. Instead, he walked over and handed Lunk the pail of fish and looked him right in his deadpan eyes and said, “I caught em so can you cook em.”

There didn’t seem to be any rejection on Lunk’s end, as the large man accepted the bucket, and then took out his knife to begin cleaning the fish himself, using the empty space beside him on the log. Rand in the meantime, had collapsed onto the ground near Annie and Victoria, watching them as they continued playing their little card game, looking to be having a blast while everyone else either stood or sat around looking completely bored out of their minds.

 _Why should they have all the fun?_ Rand thought then, deciding he would take the plunge and try to join in on this game, whatever it was. It sure didn’t look like poker or blackjack.

“Hey what’re you guys playing?” Rand curiously asked, scooting himself closer to them.

“We’re playing Rummy,” Annie answered him, keeping her focus on the cards in her hands.

“Got room for one more?”

Victoria flashed him a wry smirk, eying him from the side. “Didn’t you hear her? We’re playing Rummy not Dummy.”

Annie giggled, and in that moment Rand could’ve sworn he also heard laughing coming from the rest of his teammates too. His face flustered with utter embarrassment.

“Har, har! Real funny!” Rand crossed his arms and gave her a dirty look. ‘So can I join you guys or not?”

“Oh, you know I’m only teasing you, dear. Of course you can,” Victoria replied. “We’re almost finished with this game, and then you can join.”

Rand sat quietly, observing as Annie and Victoria were finishing up their game. Annie seemed to have only two cards left, while Victoria had three. As her eyes flitted from the discard pile back to the cards in her hand, Annie went ahead and snatched the top card off the discard pile, and then reluctantly discarded one of the cards she had left. There were already several melds of matching sets or sequences on the ground beside them, and that’s when Victoria went to lay off one of her remaining cards; an 8 of clubs, tossing it right onto the pile with the other 8’s, and then discarded her other card, leaving only one.

“The suspense is killing me,” Rand remarked with sarcastic amusement, rubbing the palms of his hands together as he watched them.

Ignoring him, Annie took her turn and looked down at one of her cards, a 6 of diamonds, and then over at the meld of diamonds containing an Ace, 2, 3, 4, and 5. She eagerly added that card to the batch, smiling victoriously since she too only had one card left, and then she discarded it.

“Rummy!” Annie called out gleefully. “I win!”

“You sure did,” Victoria replied in awe. “On your first time playing too. You’re a natural, dear.” She then looked at Rand before gathering up all the cards again. “All right, Country boy, you’re up,” she motioned for him to move closer, and then she went ahead and re-shuffled the cards again.

“Well, it’s about time,” Rand responded with impatience as he waited for her to deal their cards.

She smirked at him. “Since we’ve upgraded to three players now, we each start with seven cards.” She began to deal them out, when all of a sudden, they all heard rustling coming from the trees.

“Uh-oh,” Annie perked her head up. “Is he back? Is it the Invid?”

Everyone remained silent while keeping perfectly still.

“I told you those numbers were bad news,” Rook griped, whipping out her blaster as she next rose to her feet, and scanned around her. Scott and Lancer had also drawn their weapons and were searching around, when the next thing they knew, a long spear had flown right over their heads and embedded itself right into the tree behind Scott.

Seeing the primitive looking weapon instantly sent him into fight or flight mode, as well as the others. Victoria had even risen to her feet in that moment, and quickly pulled Annie behind her, protecting her the way a mother bear would her shield her cub. She had also taken out her pistol, and with both hands, she aimed it at the tree line that spear had just come from. Was it Maxwell again? For some reason she seemed to believe it was, and responded accordingly.

“Throw another spear at us Maxwell and I promise you’ll be eating lead for dinner!” Victoria growled, and then looked back at the rest of her friends. “You just leave the shooting to me, at least my gun won’t attract the Invid.” After she’d gotten a confirmation of nodding heads, she turned her attention back to the trees. “Come on out, Mr. Graham.” She cocked back the hammer and dared him to throw another one.

Everyone braced themselves for whatever came next, and then the next thing they knew they heard the soft timid voice of a young man.

“Miss Thompson?!”

Victoria’s eyes widened with shock as recognition dawned on her. _That voice, it couldn’t be? Could it?_

And then the young man emerged from the tree line, raising both his hands in the air as though to surrender himself. Now she felt like she was looking right at a ghost.

“Enrique?” Victoria gasped sharply, her eyes brimming with tears as she slowly lowered pistol. Was this even real? The shock of it all felt so much like a dream, and for a moment she wondered if she were merely hallucinating it all, until he stepped closer.

“Yes, Miss Thompson,” he answered softly as his eyes were also filled with tears. “It’s me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was probably my favorite chapter I've done so far. Lots of craziness all around, just the way my husband likes it. I certainly had a blast writing it.


End file.
